


Little Red and the Ashen Wolf

by TMTurtle



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe, Blood and Violence, Childhood Friends, Childhood Trauma, Enemies to Lovers, F/F, Friends to Enemies, Multi, Werewolves, it's a reserve Red Riding Hood AU where the wolf was saving Red from her abusive guardian, most of the characters and relationships not involving edelth appear later into the story
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-11
Updated: 2021-01-18
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:34:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 35,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27508420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TMTurtle/pseuds/TMTurtle
Summary: Near the Northeast of Adrestia lay a serene little town called Remire that borders the magnificent Oghma mountain, where legends spoke of tales about mystic creatures that walk the land alongside humans since the Goddess breathed life to this land. Edelgard von Hresvelg was the prodigy daughter of a revered cartographer, while Byleth was a stoic child from the odd but loving Eisner pack of Oghma wolves. It was the will of the Goddess that brought "Little Red" and the Wolf together one day as chilren, and five years later when they meet again no longer as friends but destined enemies.Devious forces slithered in the shadows of Remire town as well as the depths of the Oghma mountains to fabricate the divide between men and nature, once again intertwining the fates of Little Red and the Ashen Wolf along with their respective allies as they uncovered what was happening to Remire. How will the children of men and the children of nature combine their wits and strengths to foil the nefarious plots of those who reign in the shadows?
Relationships: Bernadetta von Varley/Hubert von Vestra, Dorothea Arnault/Petra Macneary, Edelgard von Hresvelg/My Unit | Byleth, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Other Relationship Tags to Be Added
Comments: 8
Kudos: 71





	1. Fateful Encounters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Little Red, her complicated family, and fateful encounters

Near the Northeast of Adrestia lay a serene little town called Remire that borders the magnificent Oghma mountain, where legends spoke of tales about mystic creatures that walk the land alongside humans since the Goddess breathed life to this land. Remire prided itself on being home to one of Adrestia’s most revered men, Sir Ionus von Hresvelg the great cartographer, who possessed knowledge of Fodlan’s geography far exceeding merchant records and even historical documents of the land. 

For the people of Remire, Sir Ionus was also known as a gentle-hearted and sentimental man. He had met the love of his life, Madam Anselma von Hresvelg (née von Arundel), during one of his business trips to Adrestia’s capital city, Enbarr. The two people were instantly drawn to each other - it was love at first sight they had said. Madam Anselma was a teacher at a small school in the outskirts of Enbarr, and she was also a sickly single mother raising a down-to-earth young boy named Bernard from her unfortunate previous marriage with a good-for-nothing dastard. Sir Ionus had graciously taken both of them with him to Remire where they had their formal union and began living under one roof.

About two years after their union, Madam Anselma had given birth to an endearing little girl with the most beautiful pair of lilac eyes who was almost like a spitting image of her mother - whom they named Edelgard. Anselma also had a hobby for making clothes for her family, and she would always make red clothes for Edelgard, or as the von Hresvelg loveling called her - El - after seeing how enamored her little girl would get around red objects. Since El was always seen in red clothing, the people of Remire had taken up an endearing nickname for her: “Little Red”. 

  


* * *

  


**The Year 1171, Wyvern Moon**

The warm sun lights beamed down pleasantly on the bustling streets of Remire, marking the start of another new day. With soft little fingers intertwined in longer, gentle ones, Anselma walked from the Remire market hand-in-hand with a happy Edelgard. It was a rather chilly day, courtesy of the incoming winter season. The bubbly nine-year-old in snow white dress was, of course, wearing her then-favorite hibiscus scarf gifted from her mother on her fifth birthday. By her side, the gentle Anselma was wrapped in a long, pomegranate scarf and wearing a simple ivory dress. A woman and little girl, both with light chestnut brown hair and pale lilac eyes, walking side by side while also dressed in almost similar clothing. To all who walk by, it was indeed like Anselma was accompanied by her younger self.

Inside their basket were a few carrots, some onions, a fresh green cabbage, some Noa fruit, lots of Albinean berries, and several sweet buns. Today’s lunch, as Edelgard insisted, would be vegetable pasta salad (with some grilled chicken on the side for at least for protein for growing boys, _insisted by Bernard_ ) and sweet bun trio for dessert. Glancing at their filled basket, the little girl muffled a chuckle and looked up to speak with the older woman.

"Mama, last time was just a mistake! We can try making the buns ourselves again this time. It’ll be fine!”

Smiling down at her little “After seeing Bernand’s face after he ate my salt bun? I’d rather get them from Miss Ladislava. She would never make silly mistakes as I did!”

“Yeah Mama, Miss Ladislava makes the best buns in Adrestia! Even better than the bakeries in Enbarr! I can eat her sweet buns every day!”

“Yes my angel, she truly does.”, said Anselma with a chuckle.

Little El nodded excitedly in agreement before sucking in a soft breath with eyes widened as if caught by surprise. She suddenly stopped walking and caused Anselma to halt in her steps and looked down at her daughter with worry. Glistened orbs riddled with guilt then looked up into the older woman’s own and the small girl exclaimed quickly in a pitch that was noticeably higher than usual:

“B-But it’s not like I like her buns _more_ than Mama’s cooking! I love Mama’s food and I’m so happy I get to eat them every day! I really do, Mama!”

The innocent pleading words of her little girl dispelled all of Anselma’s worries in an instance as a gentle smile quickly worked its way across her face and into her eyes. Anselma bent down to face her little girl and gazed lovingly into the smaller pair of lilac orbs so similar to her own. Squeezing Edegard’s small and slightly trembling fingers - most likely out of nervousness instead of the cold - the older woman spoke softly to the anxious child:

“Yes, I know you do, my angel. I’m also very happy that I get to cook delicious meals for you, Bernard, and Ionus every day, that I can make beautiful clothes for our family to wear throughout the year. I thank the Goddess each and every day that I get to spend with my family. She has given me everything I can ask for in life, and I’m so happy you feel the same, my angel”

A blush spread its way towards Edelgard’s face and she smiled brightly at Anselma, nodding a loud “Uhm!”. Her smile slowly faded however when her eyes glanced over at the small alley a few yards behind Anselma, as she caught the sight of a small shivering body all curled up next to a few torn trash bags.

“Mama, look! There’s a child over there!”, little El pointed out while nudging her mother towards the direction of the vacant alley, which was suffocated in a pungent smell as they walked closer. Anselma looked over and slowly followed her daughter towards the petite figure, whose messy brunette locks were buried onto scraped knees as she held her stained and slightly bruised arms cross them. Quiet choked sobs were coming out of the poor girl, which abruptly halted as the sounds of footsteps approached. A worried child’s voice broke the few seconds of dead silence.

“H-Hey, are you okay?”

Messy dark brown locks slowly lifted up towards the voice of the other child, revealing a small dirtied face with small lips so dried parts of it were already forming cracks and glistened emerald eyes completely devoid of light. The poor girl in tattered buckwheat-colored dress sat barefooted, surrounded by several rats chewing at the spilled garbage bags. A long silence dragged on as lifeless emerald eyes marked with blurred spots of dried tears pierced into concerned lilac ones, and before Edelgard could muster up another word, the brunette girl finally spoke with a hoarse, painful voice.

“N-No water…. No scraps… in those bags…. O-Or any others… around here. Five days… it has been… Since my ill mother...”. The brunette glanced at the end of the alley before breaking into a violent coughing fit after those few broken words, prompting Anselma and little El’s brows to furrow deeply. A choked gasp escaped their lips as they looked towards the back of the alley to find dirtied boney feet sticking out under coarse, heavily stained clothes. After steadying herself with some deep breaths, she looked deeply into her mother’s eyes before the older woman nodded lightly, and rustling sounds came out of their basket. A sweet, milky aroma began to spread out the alley as Edelgard shakily held three warm buns in the direction of the petite brunette. Bright emerald eyes slowly emerged again at the sweet smell as the light chestnut hair child spoke while trembling slightly.

“These are sweet buns. You can have them. Please... And here’s some water too. You’re hurting...”

Emerald eyes bore intensely into the young girl before her, then at the warm buns held in front of her. They glanced towards the older woman and a quick flash of fear washed over dim pupils. The brunette girl hastily turned her head down her knees again, this time covering her head with bruised arms as she weakly cried out with a pained voice.

“N-No, please. I don’t want to… be hurt again… _Like mother_ … Please… go… I beg you....”, the poor little girl was shaking violently at this point. 

The painful knot tugged even more violently inside little El and Anselma’s hearts, as they realized this little girl and her late mother must have been beaten before when they accepted food from sadistic strangers on the streets. Remire was a serene town with friendly people, but it was unavoidable that there would be some nasty apples among good ones. Anselma exhaled deeply before speaking up in the gentlest, most sincere voice she could muster against her growing shakiness.

“Little one, please don’t be scared. We’re not trying to hurt you. Please, have some food and water. You’re far too young to be suffering like this. Let us help you in any way we can.”.

Anselma was trying her best to hold back her tears as she spoke. She did not have any money left after her trip to the market, and it was not a good idea for such a small, helpless child living in the slums to have money on her, as she might become a target for nasty people lurking the streets. There was also no orphanage in Remire. Even before when she was still living in Enbarr, the Adrestia Church was the only place acting as an orphanage, and this was also the only place of worship of the entire state. Adrestia was never the same after its past two wars, and it had taken much time and effort to reform the state post-war and improve the well-being of its people. The town of Remire was a fine place for people and families with some amount of capital to live in, and most of its people are kind and well-meaning. But this small town wasn’t the best place for orphans and single mothers to live in as it lacked any sort of a welfare system. The taxes paid by its townspeople were still being used to rebuild its infrastructure and improve educational facilities. The mayor had stated that he would be prioritizing public institutions and amenities that all townspeople use, so supporting the needs of minority groups had to come later, though it seemed that it was taking quite a bit longer than expected to complete these priorities. Anselma never regretted coming to Remire to be with Ionus, but it was especially times like this that gave rise to extremely complicated feelings in her heart.

After a long moment of silence, the words of the older woman seemed to have soothed the fears inside the poor girl. Those emerald eyes emerged once again and the brunette finally reached out to accept the food from the pair of mother and daughter. As soon as the buns and sack of water left Edelgard’s hands, the poor girl immediately wolfed down her food and drink at a dangerous speed. When the girl lifted her head up after she had finished her first meal in five days, there was now a flicker of life in those wide emerald eyes. Staring at the gently smiling pair of mother and daughter with a complicated look in her eyes, the brunette weakly muttered the words “thank you”, though with a significantly clearer voice now. In fact, her voice could even be said to have a melodious quality to it. 

“Little one-”, a gloved hand landed on Anselma’s shoulder before she could finish speaking. Turning around, the older woman was greeted by the sight of a tall, slender man with umbra brown hair and the same shade of lilac as her own. Dressed in a bulky dark red long coat, he was carrying a large, worn-out bag made of cowhide which made rustling sounds as he moved.

“Anselma, my dear sister. It’s great to see you. Out shopping with Little Red here?”

“Thales! I didn’t know you were coming to visit.”, Anselma stood up to greet her older brother. The two adults then became busy exchanging words of pleasantries, leaving the two little girls looking at each other in silence. Noticing that the brunette was shivering in her thin tattered dress, little El pouted slightly in contemplation before removing her large hibiscus scarf and wrapping them over the girl with messy dark brown locks.

“W-What are you…?” 

“You need this more than me. And hibiscus goes well with your eyes too!”, brightly exclaimed Edelgard.

Feeling the finely-made polar fleece brushing against her dirty locks, the brunette eyes widened in shock as she blurted out.

“N-No! I couldn’t possibly-”

“Winter is coming and no one should be suffering in the cold like this. It’s the least we can do for you so please, take it!”, the smaller girl smiled weakly as she wrapped her favorite scarf snugly around the brunette’s shoulder, covering her reddened nose that was peeling off due to the cold air. There was a pained but hopeful look behind her pale eyes, and the brunette just couldn’t say another opposing word after seeing it. She finally muttered another weak “thank you”, though this time it was a lot shakier than before even though she should have been warmer now.

“Come now, Little Red, Anselma. Ionus and Bernard must be starving waiting for us to return”, Thales called out. The mother and daughter pair hesitantly look towards him before standing up and glancing one last time at the brunette girl. Seeing messy brown locks now nestled in her daughter’s favorite hibiscus scarf, a trace of surprise flashed on Anselma’s eyes before it softened into a gentle smile as the mother and daughter pair bid the other girl goodbye before walking away with the man in the deep red long coat. 

Bright emerald orbs were now all cleared up and filled with light as they bore into the two distant silhouettes. As if made anew by the kindness she received, a small hum escaped her lips and eventually burst into a mesmerizing tune that began drawing the attention of people who walked by. Little did the brunette know, the day when she let her voice soar free thanks to this unexpected act of kindness from the two strangers will be the day that changed her life forever. That the next day when the von Hresvelg mother and daughter dropped by the alley to see her, they would only find a cleaned alleyway with no sad little girl shrinking next to ripped trash bags surrounded by rats nor her poor late mother.

  


* * *

  


“So how has life been treating you, brother?”, Sir Ionus finally spoke after putting down his cup of bergamot tea. The family had just finished their lunch and little El was helping her mother bring the dirty dishes to the kitchen basin.

“It’s been good. Been traveling a lot, recruiting several more underlings, hunting plenty of games as usual…”, Thales responded as the von Hresvelg couple furrow their brows at the last part. “... and I’m seeing a fine lady nowadays as well.”, the couple lightened up as Thales finished his cup.

“That’s lovely, Thales! What is she like? If you wouldn’t mind telling us?”, exclaimed Anselma from the kitchen. Thales had always led nomadic life with his hunting group, called the Agarthans, which put himself a bit at odds with the von Hresvelgs due to their conflicting views and lifestyles. As a man of nature, Sir Ionus and his family lived a harmonious life under a stable roof, and the family held much respect and adoration for all life forms on the land of the Goddess. Meanwhile, Thales, as expected of his occupation as a hunter, had a strong distaste for animals and made his living on trophy hunting. Despite holding dissenting viewpoints, Thales and the von Hresvelgs kept a relatively cordial relationship as he was the last blood-related family member Anselma had left. Thales was also said to be a father to his men in the Agarthans, as he had no child of his own since he never seemed passionate about the idea of romance, at least until now it seemed.

“I’d love to. In fact, I’m seeking some advice from you about it, dear brother and sister. So...” Thales stopped abruptly as he glanced over at Bernard whose grey eyes were squinting as he was chiseling his woodworks and little Edelgard who was bringing a plate of sweet bun trio to the guest table. Ionus nodded in understanding as he looked over to his children and spoke softly:

“El, Bernard, my dears. Can you give us and your uncle Thales a moment?”

“Yes of course, father”

“Yes, Papa.”

Bernard carried his woodworks outside the family yard while Edelgard walked upstairs to continue where she left off with her sketch. Little El had inherited much of her father’s talent for geography and her mother’s studious nature as a teacher. Ever since she was little, Edelgard had expressed great interest in nature and history. She would spend hours marveling at the scenic illustrations in her parents’ geography books and tracing her little fingers over her father’s many hand-drawn maps. Every night, she would make Anselma tell her stories about the land’s mystical Nabatean maned wolves and Oghma mountain wolves that were said to once lived alongside human societies in ancient times, as well as retelling stories of ancient Adrestian wars. When she was grown enough to use a pen, little El would start drawing these mystical creatures based on the illustrations found in Anselma’s textbooks, as well as sketching out scenic landscapes from her father’s traveling journals, which Ionus had taken notice of and after that, would try his best to take her with him on business and traveling trips that weren’t too far away from Remire. Soon, she would begin drawing maps of the places she’d gone through on her trips with Ionus (most of which they had visited only once) with notes on special parts of the terrain and advisable ways to navigate them. The von Hresvelg couple soon realized their little girl had the gift of bearing a photographic memory, and Ionus had been mentoring his daughter closely since she turned six.

Meanwhile, the hickory brown-haired Bernard had inherited his mother’s love for arts and the meticulousness of his stepfather. The boy, which was a bit largely built for his age, was usually found immersed in making wooden sculptures, mostly of animals, which are displayed across the von Hresvelg household. Unlike the rest of the family, Bernard wasn’t very studious, preferring spending his time crafting handiworks instead of reading dusty old books. But the brawny guy was far from a brute - Bernard was actually the most soft-hearted in the family, and the most extroverted also. Outside of his time sculpting woodworks, the boy was usually hanging out with other children in their neighborhood, unlike his more introverted little sister who preferred spending time on her own. Due to his larger stature, there was an incident of him accidentally hurting another kid when the children were playing tag, and ever since then, Bernand had always minded his strength around others. Despite everyone assuring it just an accident, it seemed that Bernard took the incident to heart, as he became timider in his physical interactions with other children. Edelgard often told his brother to not see his strength as a burden and be ashamed of it, as it could make it easy for bad people to take advantage of his kindness, but Bernard was slow to grow out of his weariness. Despite being almost polar opposites - a brawny, sociable boy and an introverted, bookworm of a little girl - the siblings seemed to take on reversed temperaments, with Edelgard being more assertive in her thoughts and behavior - perhaps from Ionus in his youth before he became more softened as he settled down with a family, while Bernard was pretty much a textbook gentle giant. Nevertheless, the von Hresvelg siblings got along very well and were both well-regarded by the people of Remire.

…

About an hour passed when there was a knock on Edelgard’s bedroom door. “My angel, can I come in?”, the little girl was greeted at the door by the sight of her mother’s rather tired face, though not without a gentle smile on her lips that was always present when she was around her beloved daughter. Edelgard furrowed her brows in worry:

“Mama, are you okay? You don’t look very well… Here, let me help you lie down!”, she grabbed Anselma’s hands gently and guided her down onto the bed.

“I’m okay my angel, just a bit tired... Perhaps I didn’t sleep very well last night... Thank you, my angel.”, Anselma felt warmth in her heart at the sight of her daughter being all worked up about her well-being.

“Please get some rest, Mama. I will make you some ginger tea. It’s easy to get sick in this changing weather. I hope that child we found earlier is doing okay now….”, Edelgard was mumbling the last part of her sentence. Anselma closed her eyes and smiled warmly. Her little girl was always a kind-hearted and considerate child.

“Thank you, my angel, I’d love that.”

“Let me and big brother go to the market from now on, Mama. It’s not good that you go out in this kind of weather. Just tell us what you need and we’ll get them for you!”, Edelgard insisted. Anselma wanted to protest, after all she enjoyed spending time shopping with her little girl. Before she could mutter any words of opposition, Edelgard chimed in and attempted to lighten her mother’s mood:

“But of course, with me being made in charge of the groceries, we’ll always be having peach sorbet for dessert from now on! You love peach sorbet too, don’t you Mama? And don’t worry. I’ll make sure to keep our family diet healthy, even if big brother just wants me to skip the greens stalls and just get to the meat ones only!”, exclaimed the little girl as she chuckled softly.

At her daughter’s insistence - and her own drowsiness kicking in, Anselma couldn’t muster up her opposition anymore. She exhaled a deep sign and muttered a soft “um” before slowly closing her eyes and letting little El get downstairs to make the tea.

…

When Edelgard neared the end of the stairs, Ionus and Bernard were bidding farewell to Thales. Her father was patting his arms on the taller man’s slumped shoulders with a complicated look in his eyes, and Thales was looking back at him with an equally, if not much more complicated gaze. The young boy was a bit more distant than his father, looking rather slumped also. Edelgard joined them to say goodbye to her uncle and helped her father close the door after Thales left. Turning back at Ionus who was now sitting thoughtfully at the guest table, hands turning an empty teacup, little El softly spoke to her father after a moment of silence:

“Papa, is Mama okay?”

Putting his cup down and exhaling a long, resigned sigh, Ionus replied: “We’ve been seeing many great physicians from Enbarr. Aside from maintaining a light, nutritious diet, your mother has been taking therapeutic herbs daily as prescribed and she’s been avoiding potentially strenuous activities also”. Taking a short but noticeable pause, he continued: “We’re all trying our best and she’s been trying her best too. I know you will be taking over outside errands for now, at least during this fickle weather. Bernard has also been taking care of other more laborious chores as well. Thank you, my child”, his voice was weaker and quieter than usual.

“ _I don’t even want her to sew or cook anymore._ It could strain her eyes, and what if she accidentally hurt herself, Papa? B-But she told me this morning that nothing in this world makes her happier than being able to cook and dress our family… Now that I’ll be restricting her from going outside as well, I can’t just take away _everything_ she enjoys doing…”, those lilac orbs were glistening and threatening to spill out, her voice low to avoid waking up her sleeping mother. Leaning against the kitchen walls, Bernard’s head and shoulders were slumped downwards, covering his likely clouded eyes. His large body was slightly but noticeably quivering at every word spoken by his little sister.

A long silence invisibly strangled everyone in the dining room until Ionus eventually spoke up.

“... As long as we follow the physicians’ instructions she will be fine, they said. Aside from maintaining her physical health, we also need to keep your mother away from any emotional stress. I didn’t want her to listen to your uncle’s complications, but she had insisted to offer support for him, and I couldn’t bear to make her feel she’s neglecting her own blood. But only this time. I already told your uncle and he already promised to not trouble her anymore, at least in the near future. He was also offering her some Almyran bear bile to help strengthen her constitution, but that could _already_ be accomplished using ambrosia, white verona, and Fodlan fruit of life she’s been taking. There was no need to kill endangered animals for that and I’m sure Thales knew it, even if he really just wanted to help her. Your mother got dizzy after seeing his jar on the table.”, Ionus gritted his teeth as he spoke. Edelgard and Bernard shared his anger as their eyes pale seemed to be flickered with flames.

Edelgard abruptly walked to the kitchen to prepare her mother tea, speaking in a grim tone as she poured hot water into a pot of finely ground ginger in honey: 

"I'd prefer uncle Thales to _not_ visit for a while after what happened today. Or at least for mother not to join you in his talks."

"El, you know that'd only make her sadder. I know you're not the biggest fan of your uncle, but he's her last blood-related family aside from us. And he's been leading a rather turbulent life so she can't help but want to support him in any way she can.", Ionus replied with a pained voice.

"Father's right, El. I don't get along well with uncle Thales but I know Mother wouldn’t be happy to be kept away from her brother. And he’s never meant to do us any harm. He just... lives too different from our family, that’s all”, Bernard finally spoke. “He doesn’t even visit that often so let’s just let it be. Father already made him promise not to put unnecessary stress on her, so it’ll be okay.”

Edelgard wasn’t completely happy with their answers, but she didn’t know what else could be done better either. After stirring the tea silently for a while, she put the tea set on a tray along with some powdered white verona and finally carried them upstairs for Anselma, muttering quietly as she disappeared atop the stairs.

“Okay.”

  


* * *

  


**The Year 1174, Verdant Rain Moon**

It had been six moons since the passing of Anselma von Hresvelg, and Edelgard has never been seen without her crimson hooded scarf since. Anselma had wanted to knit a set of winter clothes for every family member, yet she only managed to finish a single scarf for her daughter. 

Edelgard remembered her mother’s last moments vividly. Anselma, whose face was much thinner then than it was before, had just finished knitting the hooded scarf by the thickly curtained bedroom window as Edelgard brought a tray with some ambrosia, fruit of life, and a warm cup of bergamot tea into the room. 

“My angel, come closer... Let me try this on you”, Anselma’s words were almost like a whisper.  
With her head inclined, Edelgard took a second to force the pained look from her eyes before turning over to walk to her pale mother, who was wrapped in her old pomegranate scarf and dressed in a thick wool sweater. She smiled that always gentle smile of hers as she slowly put the crimson cloth on her over her daughter’s head. Despite wanting to ask Anselma to let her try the scarf on herself, Edelgard held back her thoughts as she did not want to deny her mother of doing what she always loved most - tending to her children. 

“Mama, your hands have gotten cold. Perhaps you should take a rest for the day? It’s going to get colder at night. Big brother is bringing some more woods up here for you also.”, spoken Edelgard as her mother carefully smoothen the scarf over her head and shoulders. When she finished, Anselma brought her hands to Edelgard’s face as she caressed her daughter’s cheeks softly. Edelgard’s chest tightened as she brought her own hands to hold her mother’s and provide her warmth. Her movement was so gentle as if the older woman was the most fragile jewel in the world. She tried hard to keep her face appearing calm, but the back of her neck was already burning with anguish. Anselma gazed lovingly into her little girl’s face that had become even more similar to her own after three years, tired lilac orbs bore into youthful ones.

“My angel, since when have you grown this big already… I’m glad that I decided to make you a new scarf. You haven’t fit your current one since you turned ten”, Anselma smiled, closing her eyes as she spoke, as if reminiscing old times. She opened her eyes to look at a small loose stitch at the middle top edge of the hood, grazing her now-boney fingers over it as she noted “It seems I’ve made a small mistake here. Let me fix it quickly for you, then it’ll be done.”

“The day is getting colder so it’s not good to keep your bare hands out in the cold. You should continue tomorrow, Mama. For now, I’ll help you lay down”, Edelgard insisted. She then helped Anselma lay down and carefully put a thick blanket over her. She then took off the crimson scarf Anselma made to wrap it around Anselma’s face before kissing her mother’s cooled cheek. A knock arrived at the door before Bernard came in with his newly chopped woods and began placing them into the fireplace.

“Rest for a bit, Mama. Let me make you some ginger tea for the day”. Anselma nodded and the pair of brother and sister left the room quietly. When they came back with her tea, Anselma never woke up from her sleep again.

  


* * *

  


It was said that after Anselma’s passing, there was barely any light left inside Sir Ionus’s dull grey eyes. He barely traveled around anymore and would be found under the family’s orchid tree every night, under which he and his wife often sat and chat pleasantly whenever they had some time to themselves back then. As for his children, little El grew even more introverted and would rarely leave the house outside of daily errands, while Bernard devoted more of his time carving woodworks instead of socializing with other peers like before.  
Thales had returned to Remire the day after Anselma’s passing to attend her funeral. After that, he visited the von Hresvelg household - and Remire town itself - more often than before. He would often bring more souvenirs for the children, nothing from his games of course, and rare herbs he found during his trips for Ionus. It seemed that they have maintained a cordial relationship, and Ionus and the children now spoke to him a lot softer than before. Ionus especially seemed to grow closer to his late wife’s brother, perhaps since he was her last living family outside of their two children. 

Thales was still seeing that lady, which the children now knew was named Cornelia. Cornelia was a statistician originally hailed from Enbarr and she was abused by her dastard noble husband due to being infertile. Thales had met Cornelia during his travels to Enbarr and brought her along with his group after having saved her life from a life-and-death quarrel with her husband when she dared to talk back to him. Thales and Cornelia were said to be passionately in love and their relationship only began to complicate after she discovered her love for something else in life from him: _gambling_. It seemed that due to her aptitude for numbers, Cornelia kept on insisting she could outplay the laws of probability itself, even after losing countless games that she poured much silver in. This not only put a strain on her relationship with Thales but also on his finances, but despite the arguments they had, the two were rarely seen apart, aside from when Cornelia is on her gambling nights.

Anselma and Ionus had always held great concern about Thales’ love complications. At the same time, however, they also didn’t want him to be on his lonesome again after finally finding a companion in life. Because of this, Ionus would, at the advice sometimes provide financial support to Thales in addition to giving him advice on his troubling relationship, something which Edelgard was strongly against. She had argued that the money would most likely be spent by Cornelia for her gambling cravings anyways, which would neither help improve their relationship nor provide Thales with better living conditions during his travels. The little girl even wondered why Thales was still with her after all this in the first place, but her father had told her that love can be difficult to understand and she might be able to comprehend this better once she became old enough. Regardless, Edelgard insisted Ionus to at least advise Thales to enforce certain boundaries regarding how much she could use from his funds, which her father did. Cornelia was never causing any rift between Thales and Ionus, however. There was only one incident of Ionus being angry at Thales after having a talk with him inside his studies - but it was quickly resolved it seemed, as the two of them were back on good terms again the next time they met.

  


* * *

  


Thales was visiting again today, and of course their conversation eventually even shifted gears into the hunter’s problems with Cornelia again. Bernard was out with his friends today - it had been a while since they last hung out together now that Bernard had actually begun to come out of his room and woodworks corner. Edelgard excused herself before shutting the back door behind her, leaving for her favorite pine tree at the outermost part of the forest near the foot of Oghma mountain. It was the largest pine tree in that area so it provided plenty of shade and comfort regardless of the weather, and there were only birds and squirrels around that area. It was also near a tranquil river, which flowing and rippling sound Edelgard enjoyed listening to a lot when she indulged in her drawing. The von Hresvelg house was situated at the outermost part of Remire for the convenience and preference of its owners. It was a ten-minute from the von Hresvelg back door.

Dressed in her crimson hood again today, which had already formed a minor tear at the spot of the loosened stitch, little El was carrying a woven box in her right hand - which contained her sketch scroll, several sharpened charcoal pencils, a small knife for sharpening, and a large bread crumb - and a woven basket on her left which has some sweet buns and a water sack. She had been working on a scenic sketch of the Oghma mountain and forest for a few weeks now, and by the time today’s session end, her piece would finally be completed. Setting down everything at her favorite spot, she took in the fresh, earthy smell of the atmosphere around her before sitting down and taking out her gear. After spending a long while taking in the scenery before her, eyes began narrowing in focus as she lifted the charcoal pencil to illustrate the marvel she was witnessing.

Before her pencil could graze the scroll, however, Edelgard’s focus was interrupted by the stifled sound of a groan that did not sound quite _human nor animalistic_ either. It was coming from a nearby bush just a dozen steps away. 

“There shouldn’t be any predatory animals here! What’s going on?”, Edelgard thought to herself as the panic began to kick in. Another groan was heard, this time a bit louder than before. A million thoughts raced through her mind before she steeled herself to calm down and turn towards the bush where the sound was coming from. With the small sharpening knife held tightly in her palms, the girl in the red hood slowly crept towards the source of her trepidation, taking extreme caution to leave no sound behind every single footstep. 

“Argh, it’s too thick to peak through!”, Edelgard cursed internally. She had wanted to sneak a look instead of acting rashly, but that wasn’t possible in this situation. Before she could devise another approach, another groan was heard - this time much louder with a deep growling tone. Lilac eyes widened in fear as the girl shot out her left hand to stifle her own gasp, frightened that any sound she made could provoke this most likely wild lifeform. Squeezing her eyes shut, Edelgard tightened her grip around the knife and steeled herself with a deep breath, as quietly as she could, to stop the trembling. Then in a flash, the girl in the red hood emerged quickly above the bush with her knife ready to slash at Goddess knows what was making those guttural sounds. Her hands stopped midair, however, as what was in front of her was no predatory animal lurking, but an unconscious _child_ with unruly dark teal mane and a large, nasty gash on her left knee.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for making it till the end of this chapter! I'm glad that my first fanfiction is for a game and pairing I really love (well, 1/4 of it for the former!). The idea just came to me, I guess, with how much of a big dog FByleth looks and acts like, and of course El being little and always wearing red. I figured a different version of this classic story where the Wolf is actually saving Little Red from her bad Grandma and the bad Hunter would be interesting. Since Ionus isn't a king here, he has no concubines so I can't just give El lots of siblings. Finally decided to give her just one older half-brother.
> 
> Originally this was gonna be a oneshot, but as my mind wandered I wanted to have all the Eagles (and I DO mean all of them) to be involved somehow, so this happened instead haha. This fic will most likely not be a short one with all the developments I have planned out already. Due to real-life work, I'm not entirely sure about my update schedule but I already plan out the plot and key developments clearly so I'm very committed to pen this story out fully. Please subscribe for updates!
> 
> This chapter is quite long because I wanted to end at El meeting Byleth for the first time. Later chapters might or might not have the same general length. Also, I'm not a native speaker but I do work a writing job irl so I hope you'll find it a pleasant read. Thanks again for reading and see you next time!


	2. Child of the Mountains

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dangers of the forest, peculiar faces of Remire, and the encounter between the child of men and the child of nature

It was supposed to be just another hunting day for Byleth. A painful one with the two loudest mouths of the Eisner pack, Alois and Caspar. Byleth had insisted to have her fish-loving older sister Petra accompany her instead since they already came down here from their den from atop the mountain just to reach this river for fish. Especially for salmon as the area was close to the bountiful waterfall. However, her dad pointed out that they couldn’t just dispatch all their best fighters to a single place and leave the weaker ones at risk. And since Alois and Caspar also insisted to join the fish hunt as fellow fish lovers (and also to catch those chewy rabbits, Caspar exclaimed with excess enthusiasm), Byleth couldn’t gather the energy or effort to protest further. 

“Heeey Byleth. Long time no _sea._ We’re finally on a hunt together, woohoo!”, Alois greeted a tad too loudly. 

That idiot Caspar even high-fived him for that lame pun. This is going to be a long trip, sighed Byleth. The teal haired girl was never one for many - if any word, and she just had to be stuck with the two wolves that couldn’t shut their traps for one minute. 

...

“... So your old man was like: Alois, stop with the fish puns. You’re _kraken_ me up!”, Alois was practically in tears at that point. “Hahaha! I’m telling ya. Lots of my best jokes are from Jeralt, he was basically my prof- Argh darn, it got away _again!_ ”

Byleth had lost count of how many fish she could have caught until Alois started to laugh out loud and scared them away. They were near the waterfall for salmon and she could swear Alois’s voice was overshadowing the loud current of water itself. Rubbing her temples as she sighed quietly, the teen finally spoke in her usual monotone as politely as she could.

“Alois… Maybe you should go pick some currants? Your voice is scaring the fish away”

“Nonsense! I go fishing with Jeralt all the time and we always return with our baskets overflowed! … Well, his usually is anyway”. The last part was almost inaudible.

Of course he would deny his loudness is the source of the problem, even when his stomach just made a pathetically loud rumble, Byleth groaned internally. She tried again with a more… emotionally driven approach this time.

“Berries are great with grilled fish. And Bernadetta _loves_ currants for dessert, doesn’t she? We will have more good food for tonight if we split up. It’s gonna get dark soon too..”

“Oh _cod_ , of course. Our lovely Bernadetta loves berries, doesn’t she? And you’re right, we should wrap up soon so we can come back to prep them on time”. Goddess, he was finally leaving her alone. It was a good idea to bring up Bernadetta, Alois was always so protective and gentle towards the shrinking violet. The bear of a man quickly took off towards the forest - the bushes were a bit deeper into the woods and further away from the river. Before his voice completely disappeared, the cheeky man still managed to throw out one last pun.

“You get those fish for us, Byleth. And let _minnow_ if you need anything!”

“Finally”, Byleth exhaled deeply. Without Alois’s “company”, dozens of fish were gathered in Byleth’s woven net in just a few minutes. She was in her half-human form for this task, using her trusty piercing stick instead of the chase-and-pin strategy of her wolf form - it gets you worn out too quickly. Typically, wolf form was used for hunting wild game as it possesses the most strength as well as the keenest senses. Meanwhile, picking fruits and catching fish were tasks better accomplished in bipedal form. The former required, obviously, more flexible fingers instead of rough, clumsy claws - and the latter was just too physically straining as a large, four-legged animal. A simple sharp stick gets things done much more efficiently.

* * *

Both Alois and Caspar must have been quite far away from her - thankfully - since there were still so many fish around. Seeing a stray trout swimming closer to her leg, Byleth raised her stick, ready to plunge downwards before the sound of moving rocks caught her attention. Her body tensed immediately, ears pointed towards the direction of this strange sound - at an inconspicuous currant bush about a dozen feet from her side. There had been a faint grape-based alcohol smell around the area, but Byleth had assumed it was from Alois’s “chilling” session with Jeralt last night - until now. A deep growl escaped from Byleth’s throat, pupils contracted into threatening slits turning cool cornflower irises into steel cobalt as sharp claws began to sheath from her tensed fingers. 

Swoosh! Byleth timely dodged an arrow that was coming for the side of her neck. Its head sparks a strange glimmer different from metallic ones she had known. Men dressed in black emerged from the bushes and began charging at her, wielding various types of arms - bows and arrows, hunting sickle attached to a leash, axes, and shortswords. Six of them, a sweat broke down Byleth’s temple as she counted. It was going to be hard to take down six armed men as a lone newly grown wolf - she couldn’t smell Caspar or Alois anymore. Hell, the mint haired boy was four whole years younger than Byleth, so by wolf age, he was barely even ready for hunting and real combat. 

Another arrow flew towards Byleth’s torso, this time accompanied by the chained sickle aimed at her leg. Byleth managed to dodge the arrow, but the sickle narrowly scraped her calf and left a thin trail of blood running. As the largest man charged at her with his heavy axe raised high, Byleth let out a roar before swiping at his chest with her claws, his blood splattered across her cheeks. Taking advantage of their aggressive ally’s sacrifice, three men wielding shortswords closed in and began an onslaught of slashes. Like an ashen flash, Byleth managed to dodge all of their hits and slashed at two men’s legs, bringing them to their feet screaming in pain. Before she could launch herself at the lone melee fighter left, two arrows flew towards the ashen wolf - one she managed to evade which slashed her right cheek, and the other she missed which pierce her right shoulder which prompted a loud cry. This searing pain and the fact that the scratch on her calf still wasn’t healed already - the material of these arrows that shone the same strange glimmer as the rest of their arms were _not_ like that of normal weapons. Jeralt and Alois had shown and taught the whole pack the ways of men’s weapons before. Many of them - save for Linhardt and Bernadetta - had experienced injuries caused by weapons of men during practice. None had this burn to them like these weapons she was up against. 

However, the pain seemed to have triggered Byleth’s most primal survival instincts. The ashen wolf roared as she ripped out the arrow on her shoulder, now shooting a cold dead glare at the huntsmen. A strange symbol glowed on her forehead as she grasped the swordsman’s neck before he could strike, her claws digging blood into his throat. He coughed profusely and splattered more blood on her face before Byleth threw his bloody body to the side and began charging at the lone archer. The bastard panicked and reached for his arrows. But before he could draw the bow, Byleth gave a brutal kick that dislocated his shoulder before she clawed at his torso, taking away his pulse along with whatever organs hat spilled out. Byleth was drenched in blood and panting heavily at this point. The burn on her shoulder was getting unbearable now and she had exerted too much energy to take out those hunters. Her ears perked up as she turned towards the approaching sounds of Alois and Caspar, less than a mile away - they must have heard her battle cry from earlier! At least she got all five of them taken care of-

“Missed one, yer damn mutt”, the one with the sickle who had been hiding after his first strike was now out and slashed his blade towards Byleth’s leg. The sharp sickle ripped a large gash on Byleth’s left knee, prompting a devastating roar from the now-slumped teal haired teen. Byleth could smell the panic scent of Alois and Caspar as their footsteps quickened immediately at the sound of her anguished cry. The bastard punched his dead ally’s arrow deeper into Byleth’s shoulder and stomped repeatedly on her right arm to incapacitate her completely.

“Today’s my lucky day, catching an Oghma wolf all on my own.”, he gloated as he tightened the chains on Byleth’s wrists. “Thales is gonna be-”, the man was stopped dead in his tracks as Byleth stubbornly pulled back at the chains - pulling them to the riverbed. Cornflower eyes gleaming with anger and hatred as a threatening growl escaped her clenched, bloody fangs. 

“Argh you crazy fucking mutt!”, he spitted as his veins popped pulling at the chains with all his might, not risking to come near the desperate wild animal in fear of getting attacked. Mustering all the energy she had left in her heavily battered body - and otherworldly willpower - Byleth gave a final earth-shattering yank. The collide forces sent the scoundrel flying towards the edge of the waterfall, his body came crashing on the bed of pebbles as he screamed out in pain.

“Byleth? Byleth!”, Alois and Caspar finally arrived. Their eyes widened in outrage when they saw Byleth’s battered and chained state, reaching out her hands at the limping wolfing.

“Alois, Casp-”, her words were cut short as the dastard fell down the waterfall trying to scramble his way up from slippery pebbles and the crushing current, pulling a screaming Byleth with him. A crushing sound was heard as their bodies hit the plunge pool, and a distinct crimson tainted the body of rushing water beneath. There was no color left on Alois and Caspar’s faces as they witnessed what just happened in front of them. A haunting, anguished echoed throughout the whole mountain, signaling grave danger and trouble to all its inhabitants and especially members of the Eisner pack.

* * *

Edelgard winced at the sight of the battered teen in front of her. Red and purple marked her arms and face and the right shoulder of her tunic was ripped by what seemed to be an arrow wound. Her grey pants were ripped in several parts and the gash on her knee had stopped bleeding, thankfully it wasn’t too deep. Atop her wild, dark teal mane was a drooping pair of distinctively pointy wolf ears and her thick tail was smeared in dry blood and completely immobile. Based on her general features, especially the shape of her ears, this girl seemed to closest resemble the breed of Oghma wolves illustrated in the Fodlan old history books Edelgard had seen. However, the ashen color of her fur was like that of Nabatean maned wolves, as they were the only breed that could possess that shade of fur. Her face was ghastly white and there was dried blood on her dry, pale lips. 

The wolfling couldn’t have been older than fifteen, yet here she was unconscious and covered in gruesome injuries. It also seemed she got washed up by the stream since her body was laid atop the bed of pebbles, clothes damp with some algae stuck on parts of it. Deep sorrow gnawed at Edelgard’s heart as the image of a familiar brunette with lifeless emerald eyes flashed through her burning mind - she hoped that orphaned girl is living a better life now, she couldn’t find her in town ever again after that single encounter. Why was the world she’s living in so exceedingly cruel to children?

The chestnut-haired girl racked her brain for how to treat the young wolf’s grisly wounds. She recalled a time when Bernard fell against the table and got a cut on his forearm when it landed roughly on his sharp chisel. It was a rather deep gash and it took a few days for it to seal so that her brother could move his arm normally again. Anselma possessed intermediate knowledge in the arts of healing, so she treated her son’s wound at home using a concoction of ambrosia, fruit of life, rocky burdock, and white verona. The von Hresvelg storage currently has all of these aside from white verona, which she could obtain at the local pharmaceuticals though it had been in high demand all of a sudden recently - from the von Vestra household, Edelgard had heard from bits of conversations between her father and uncle. The small girl made sure her surrounding was clear, and that the wolfling was still indeed unconscious, before making her dash towards the town square.

* * *

There was indeed no more white verona at the Remire pharmaceuticals this week. The broody son of Marquis von Vestra had bought the last batch just this morning, remarked the store clerk. Sir Ionus and Marquis graduated from Garreg Mach together and their families have been long-time friends. But unlike the von Hresvelgs, the von Vestras had… a unique reputation in the town of Remire. 

The household head, Sir Marquis von Vestra, was an ingenious inventor who specialized in machinery and chemicals. In his youth, he was offered a respectable position at Enbarr as a weaponry researcher and engineer. The eccentric man declined this offer, however, and led a semi-nomadic life in various parts of Adrestia before settling down in Remire a few years ago with his two equally eccentric children, Hubert and Kronya - no mother in sight. 

Hubert was a pale, lanky boy with curly deep black hair that covered the right half of his face and topaz eyes that resembled those of cold-blooded reptilia, boasting a fittingly aloof attitude to match. He was a child of little words and had a notorious reputation amongst the children of Remire for the deeply unsettling way he would suddenly cackle out of the blue. Due to his peculiarity, he was subject to odd looks, funny names, and even bullying from the haughtier children of the town. He rarely stepped foot outside of his estate, preferring to spend his time assisting his father with the chemical side of things - the boy had an extraordinary talent for the arts of brewing concoctions, especially deadly ones. Despite their interests barely aligning, Edelgard quickly became friends with Hubert due to their shared love for academics and the two would often exchange notes on subjects they each excel at to learn from each other.

No bully, however, could ever touch a single hair on his head when his older sister, Kronya, is around. Kronya was older than Hubert by two years but without knowing you’d think she was the younger one instead. The mischievous girl with ginger hair - also styled in a way that covered the left half of her face - was a lot chattier than her brother and father, but with an odd, borderline disturbing sense of humor. She was even paler than her already ghastly brother and bore wildfire red eyes just like those of her father. Despite her overly bubbly attitude, Kronya was fiercely protective of her family and friends, often resorting to violence to resolve discourse. There was an incident where she had broken some kid’s arm for pulling at Hubert’s hair, which was quietly settled by an indifferent Marquis von Vestra with a wad of cash at the face of the child’s outraged parents. She treated Edelgard like the little sister she never had, often admiring the way the younger girl cared for her straight, silky hair. The brunette would share haircare tips she had learned from her late mother with the redhead, and in return, Kronya would share… fighting and defensive tips with Edelgard and Bernard. Where the vital and non-vital organs are, how to swiftly disarm an opponent twice your size, how to undo a knot if you ever get your hands tied behind your back. Edelgard got to practice some of these tips, though none of the fighting ones so far much to Kronya’s disappointment. They were incredibly different girls but Edelgard found a good friend and pseudo older sister in Kronya regardless.

Despite all this, the people of Remire still held great respect for the von Vestra as few of the population was as educated and well-off, and they have introduced several life-changing inventions to the town including spectacles, hourglass, and magnets. He would occasionally travel to Enbarr and present his inventions to the officials to begin mass production for daily usage, but the man would always decline whenever the offer of an official position was brought up. It seemed that he preferred living in the remote and serene neighbors of Remire instead of the bustling streets of the capital, a sentiment shared by his old friend Ionus. 

* * *

Edelgard stopped in front of the von Vestra’s front yard as she spotted Hubert methodically examining a few coffee trees in his garden. The usually broody boy looked uncharacteristically gentle right now, his eyes and facial features were relaxed and almost soft-looking, as opposed to his usual gloomy and menacing self. Noticing a small figure approaching from the corner of his eyes, the dark-haired boy’s eyes steeled immediately as a frown formed on his lips. As his gaze turned to meet lilac orbs, his features seemed to relax a little - the two introverted friends seemed to find great comfort in each other’s quiet demeanor and keen intelligence - as he spoke politely.

“Greetings, Edelgard. What brings you to the von Vestra household so early in the day?”

“Good morning, Hubert. I heard from the pharmaceuticals that you just purchased their last batch of white verona for this week. I was wondering if you happen to have any spare ones you could share with me? I need it to make a healing concoction”

Hubert observed her thoroughly and mused to himself before speaking nonchalantly.

“Oh? Your brother Bernard is still out with his friends at this moment and your father had been spending the day greeting your newly arrived uncle after spending much of last night burrowed in his work. You don’t seem to be suffering from any injuries yourself either. Who would you be making this concoction for, may I ask?”

Edelgard furrowed her brows at the taller boy. He was indeed an odd one not only in his mannerisms but also in ways of speech. She had known he had a reputation of being a keenly observant child, a crucial trait for someone following the footsteps of his inventor father. However, he was overly attentive at times and never seemed to shy away from voicing out things others would find rather unsettling and borderline invasive. She stopped a bit before raising her voice to answer.

“.. It’s for my uncle if you must know. He recently suffered a pretty sizable injury from his travels… So do you by chance have any spare antitoxins I could have?”

 _But the man was walking just fine when he came to visit our father just last night, and he was fine carrying this to your front door this morning as well,_ pondered Hubert. He didn’t prod her further at this though, fearing he’d overstep his boundaries. Hands reaching into his pocket to pull out a packet of dried herb the boy spoke carefully as he laid it on the smaller girl’s hand.

“Could you perhaps describe briefly to me what kind of injury it and what kind of concoction you’d be making? Perhaps I could provide some assistance with the chemicals you’d need.”

Edelgard contemplated if she should reveal more information to him, afraid he’d catch up on something she didn’t expect. However, her concern for the wolfling’s injury as well as her lack of in-depth knowledge about medicine outweighed her uncertainty. She eventually divulged to him.

“... It is around 5 inches long, on the knee, and extends to the lower half of the thigh. The color is a deep red and has some blueness to it. Doesn’t reach the bones, thankfully. It was soaked in river water for several long hours also, so I figured there might be some stuff in the river that could contaminate the injury, hence the white verona. believe it would’ve been less than 24 hours since she- he got injured.”, she gulped. “As for the concoction, I was thinking to make one similar to what was used to treat my brother once when he had a fairly deep injury on his forearm caused by a metal chisel. Ambrosia, fruit of life, rocky burdock, and white verona- are what I’m getting for it.”

Boney fingers rub at Hubert’s chin as the lanky took in the information, as well as Edelgard’s slips and mannerisms. The boy raised his voice after a moment of contemplation.

“You will be needing at least five servings of each of those materials, as it’d take around five days to seal the open wound. It seemed that this person is also poisoned, perhaps by the material of the object that caused the injury. I’d suggest you double the amount of white verona to ten servings and also add ten servings of antitoxin”, he spoke methodically as he glanced at the drug contents of her basket. “I will get all of them in the necessary amount for you.”, Hubert finished as he walked towards the warehouse to grab the herbal materials. Returning with a small basket filled with consumables, he handled Edelgard everything and glanced down into her eyes one last time before turning away and walking back to his coffee tree.

“You should go now. It seems that whoever you’re making it for needs it as soon as possible.”

“Thank you so much, Hubert!”, Edelgard cried out with gratitude as she ran from the von Vestra’s estate gate, his odd wording completely slipped by her mind.

“Heeeey Hubie~ Why didn’t you tell me Edie was coming over? I wanted to get her started on her self-defense lesson today at last”, Kronya walked out from the front door to be greeted with the sight of Edelgard’s back quickly disappearing into the streets and Hubert putting on his raven jacket. 

“Wait where are you going?”

“I’m following her for a bit. Don’t say a word to her or father, Kronya.”, Hubert hushed as he walked towards the front gate.

“... Sure, but you better make it back quickly~ I wanna test out that new potion you made on my dolls! How faster will it melt them this time hehe~”

“Fine…. And thanks…”. Those were Hubert’s last words to his sister as he rushed out after the crimson cloaked girl.

* * *

A soothing sensation spread across Byleth’s whole body. It had a cool, herbal touch to it like the white verona and ambrosia her older brother Linhardt would always scrub on her injuries after their hunts or practice sessions. Warm sparks tingle her whole body as the searing pains on her knee and shoulder were alleviated immensely with each gentle press of that cooling sensation against her skin. Sunlight began entering her vision as she slowly lifted her groggy lids to be greeted with the sight of chestnut hair crouching and rubbing green ointment at her wounds. Feeling the limp body in front of her finally moving, Edelgard lifted her head to look up at the now awake teen in front of her. Pale lilac orbs locked into cornflower blue eyes for the first time and Edelgard marveled at the mesmerizing clear pool of blue in front of her. Fright quickly took over the calm blue irises, however, as Byleth instinctively backed herself up and away from the startled _human_ girl that was too close to comfort for her. She was stopped short as the aching burn on her shoulder and knee kicked in again, prompting a deep grunt from the injured teen.

“H-Hey, you’re okay now, don’t be scared. I’m applying a healing concoction on your wounds and it seems to be working well since you’re finally awake now!”, the smaller girl exclaimed with excitement. Before she could come closer and reach out her medical-soaked handkerchief to continue tending at wolfling’s wounds, a hostile growl came from Byleth’s throat as she bared her sharp fangs.

“Please, I’m not trying to hurt-”

“Who are you... and where am I?”, Byleth’s voice was still weak but her claws were already sheathed, eyes turning dark and dull and pupils now thin, menacing slits. The brown-haired girl was taken aback by her alarming shift in attitude, but there was neither fear nor disgust in her pale eyes.

“You are on the outskirts of Remire, a small town that borders the Oghma mountain. You must have been washed down here through that river”, replied the smaller girl. “I am Edelgard von Hresvelg, twelve years old, daughter of Sir Ionus von Hresvelg the great cartographer of Adrestia. And you are?”

“... Damn it. To get stranded on the territory of godforsaken humans… Tch!”, Byleth slammed her tightened fists on the ground, only to be reminded of her wounded shoulder. “.. Get away from me, child of men”, growled the battered wolfling as Edelgard attempted to reach out to her shoulder.

“The name is Edelgard, and you should be expressing your gratitude to me for saving your life by at least telling me your name!”, lilac eyes shot an annoyed glare at the crass wolfling. “Unbelievable”, Edelgard rolled her eyes as she proceeded to tap her medicine on Byleth’s shoulder.

“Arghh! Are you trying to kill me? What _is_ that?”, screamed Byleth as the concoction worked its way around her open wound. It only felt cool when she was unconscious. But now that she was awake, the chilling sensation was accompanied by a piercing feeling as well. However, it felt miles better with than without this sensation on her skin, though it did prompt the teen to flinch back at its intensity.

“It’s a healing concoction made of white verona, rocky burdock, fruit of life, ambrosia, and antitoxin, without double the concentration of white verona and antitoxin due to the nature of your injuries-”

“I don’t need those stuff. It’ll heal on its own anyways”, grumbled the injured teen. She recognized what all of those herbs will do, aside from this “antitoxin” thing. Linhardt would sometimes apply them to weakened or sick members of the pack, so it seemed that this human wasn’t trying to kill her at least. However, she didn’t want to risk taking an unknown substance, this “antitoxin”, especially from a damn _human._ Wolves can heal their injuries without needing external assistance, unlike humans. Herbs and such are typically used to cure illnesses or get rid of aching problems with the body.

“Goddess’ sake, you were _unconscious_ for most likely nearly a day! No normal injuries can do that to Oghma wolves, and especially not if you had Nabatean blood in you as well. Your wounds are partially blue-ish so you were definitely poisoned by something. And there are no records of any kind of weapon or substance that could inflict that kind of injury on wolves, ever. So that will surely _not_ heal on its own!” grumbled the brunette. 

“... Now would you _please_ stop squirming so I could apply this on you?”, the little girl cleared her throat before daring to raise her voice at the feral teen that was flashing sharp teeth and fangs at her just moments ago. 

“W-Wait. How’d you know I have Nabatean blood in me?”, Byleth’s eyes widened in shock.

“Your large pointy ears are distinctly those of Oghma wolves, yet the ashen color of your fur could only belong to the extremely rare breed of Nabatean maned wolves. And your hair in this half-human form is just like a mane. Oghma wolves don’t have manes like that.”, Edelgard analyzed calmly while looking straight into Byleth’s eyes. Lilac irises were sparkling with excitement, but there was no sense of prodding to study a rare specimen nor malice to profiteer from an exotic creature in those eyes. Just pure curiosity and child-like enthusiasm. 

“I’ve only read about Fodlan’s mystical beings in old history books and traveler’s records. To think I’d have the chance to meet one in person today!”, the smaller girl was overjoyed at this point, her lips curved into a radiant smile. It was admittedly an adorable sight to see, Byleth thought - and quickly cleared her mind from such a ridiculous notion. However, her smile quickly turned into a frown as she continued.

“... Even if you can heal on your own… What kind of world we’re living in that children like you and her have to suffer such horrendous treatment like this? Children of men, children of nature. We were both precious lives molded by the Goddess herself and used to walk this bountiful land as equals. Why must the children of the Goddess not see each other eye to eye anymore?”, her voice was a melancholic whisper now, eyes glistened with sadness.

“Because _your_ kind became greedy and began hunting down my kind, driving us to the rough mountains deprived of greens and resources so you could bask and grow in the fertile land of the Goddess while adorning your homes and bodies with _our skin and bones_ ”, growled Byleth.

“It was neither recorded in history books nor made into law, the segregation of children of men and children of nature… However, my father’s traveler’s records from ancient times and his own state that although both kinds hunt for survival, some children of men turned hunting into sports games instead and began using animal fur as fashion and decoration. It started with regular animals still, but eventually, they began turning against children of nature due to their exoticism. And especially after the great Fodlan war that plunged the Adrestian population of commoners into extreme poverty”, Edelgard spoke with a pained voice. 

“Children of men are split on this matter. One side argues that due to their nomadic culture as well as superior physiological capabilities, children of nature do not live harmoniously with humans and never contributed to the societal developments of the land since they can live off from the bountiful nature provided by the Goddess alone. Others argue that children of nature can contribute their strength to protecting the land of the Goddess from invaders, as many of them fought under the Adrestian flag during the war. However, since governmental policies have been focusing on reviving the economy after the war instead of improving the well-being of children or other minority groups cast away by society, little had been done by officials to settle this conflict. Some even believed that were human trade can help revive the economy and weed out “good-for-nothings” of the land. So many hunters now make a living by offering the skins and bones of children of nature to nobles who still indulged in lavish in times of great crisis.”

“Tch”, split Byleth.

Her frown deepened as she continued. “The Nabatean maned wolves were the first to be targeted and was driven to near extinction. It’s believed that there is only one pack left hidden far away in the depths of the Red Canyon where no man can even make it past the entrance alive. Eventually, children of nature began to migrate northeast towards the deep forests and mountains. It was said some who formed unions with children of men continued stayed inland but in remote areas, keeping their identities hidden in fear of being hunted down. Activism efforts to protect orphaned children and protect the children of nature so far are from small, scattered groups of civilians only... ”

“... And that was my mother’s pack who survived. You humans couldn’t reach them so you cowardly slaughtered my mother, _weakened from childbirth_ , who was living in the forest with my father instead of her Nabatean pack in the depths of the Red Canyon”, the wolfling snarled. “Now get away from me before I rip your face out, child of men”. Byleth inched away from the smaller girl as she huffed angrily, looking away from her guilt-ridden eyes.

A heavy atmosphere blanketed over the two children and it took a long moment of silence before Edelgard slowly spoke up, eyes still saddened but sparking a strange gleam of resolution in them.

“... I’m very sorry about what happened to your kind, and especially to your mother. Though I’ve also experienced the pain of losing my mother differently, I will not pretend to say I understand your grief and anger. Only you can truly understand your own sadness. I can empathize but my feelings and sadness are only those of an outsider looking in, and they won’t help change the future for the better. And I intend to sway your heart not with my words along, but also my _deeds_ ”. Purpose-filled her voice as she spoke resolutely. “So you must let me reach out my hand and heal you. Allow this child of men to treat a child of nature with the basic kindness that _all_ children of the Goddess deserve. Big changes start with small steps, so let me take this first step and help pave the way for a better future for us both - children of men and children of nature - with all that I can do!”

Edelgard’s eyes became engulfed in a flame of unwavering determination exceptional for a child still so young of an age. Those pale lilac orbs that radiate so much intensity and purpose, yet at the same time, so much kindness and warmth that Byleth couldn’t part her faze from no matter how hard she forced eyes away...

“Owwww! Hey, that _hurts_!!”

Edelgard got too carried away she was already back to tending Byleth’s knee as she spoke those resolute words, so carried away that she had pressed handkerchief with a bit too much pressure than intended on Byleth’swound. She was more surprised, however, by the sound that came from the hurt wolfling. It was no longer a threatening growl of a cornered child of the wild, but a frustrated yell like that of a kid her age. Edelgard couldn’t hold back and let out a burst of laughter that dusted Byleth’s cheeks in soft pink and cause strange feelings to flutter in her stomach. Byleth quickly dismissed it as her just being hungry or something, even if the sensation was a far cry from that of hunger. One moment before, the brunette exuded the temperament and aura of a stern and wise monarch, yet in the next moment, she went back to being the pure, simple-hearted child her age again.

“... So, may I finally have the pleasure to know your name?”

Mesmerizing lilac eyes, accompanied by the most gentle smile Byleth had ever seen in her whole life around rugged fellow wolves, bore deeply into rippling pools of blue that no longer contained any trait of defensiveness. And her scent. Her soothing scent was that of blossoming carnations on a lovely spring afternoon and the calming sunrise filled with hope, so much hope. Unlike the greasy, revolting scent by boorish men of the hunt. 

Perhaps it was her calming scent and warming sincerity. Perhaps it was her captivating lilac eyes whose radiance far surpassed any beautiful scenery Byleth had ever seen. Perhaps it was the fact that Byleth was finally in the presence of someone with an unfamiliar but nonetheless welcoming gentleness, after spending much of her life around rugged, eccentric packmates. Or perhaps it was simply much better feeling the cooling medicine on her aching wounds rather than without it. The girl with unruly teal mane nodded weakly before finally giving in.

“...Byleth. Fourteen. And… thanks for saving me… _Edelgard_ ”

“You’re very much welcome, _Byleth_ ”

* * *

A dark, lanky figure from behind the bushes quietly retreated from the sight of the mismatched pair of newly found friends.

“Tch. Girls...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... And we meet Hubert and his oddball of an older sister! I want to explore a different but not so different, more redeemable version of Kronya where she actually has close ties to Edelgard and Hubert. Plus both the von Vestra father and son are creepy in a similar way, so I figured: Why not add another creepy von Vestra but more on the physical side? 
> 
> Yes, Byleth's pack includes some Eagles and I'll be altering their ages a bit compared to the original game where Byleth is the oldest. And I wanted to create a less black-and-white conflict between children of men and children of nature. The struggle of technological and societal advancements - inspired by the game itself with the Nabateans - because of their different ways of life and how it gets exploited. Also El's speech is greatly inspired by her in-game quotes and I tried to tweak and tailor it to suit the context and circumstances of this AU. As a twelve-year-old, El is quite wise for her age but she's still emotionally naive and vulnerable, something which will be explored and of course, exploited eventually.
> 
> Next chapter will contain some key developments that will soon bring more drama and angst to the story. Please stay tuned and subscribe to be notified of updates. Until next time!


	3. Carnation Season Comes to an End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The past, progress from both sides, unexpected revelations, and the end of carnation season.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> >Warning: The middle part of this chapter is rated E for Explicit ~~Fluff~~

_Jeralt had always been a rugged lone wolf who never harbored much sentimentality, but his whole world changed when he met Sitri. One day during a particularly long hunting trip, his steps took him to Zanado, the Red Canyon that was home to the last known pack of Nabatean maned wolves in Fodlan. Jeralt had heard the tales of the Red Canyon several times from other wolves and sometimes from the stray hunters who dared venture into the forest near the base of Oghma mountain. From children of men, these tales were all about how no men could make it back alive once they had set foot into the crimson gorge. From other children of nature, they were tales about how the Nabateans would seclude themselves in the depths of the canyon, unwelcoming to any other life forms but their own due to the mental scars engraved into their instincts by the children of men._

_There were also tales of how their leader, the great Seiros, once walked the land of men alongside the Adrestian’s founder, Wilhelm, and contributed her services to protecting the state from foreign invaders. It was even rumored that Seiros even had an intimate relationship with Wilhelm when they were away from the public eye. Wilhelm was said to be on the way of issuing a nationwide policy affirming the citizenship of all children of nature who reside within Adrestia, paving the way for a harmonious society of humans and werehuman. However, he passed away unexpectedly due to a complicated illness at the age of thirty eight, and was succeeded by his younger brother Heinrich who held prejudice against Seiros for being a child of nature. Seiros eventually left Enbarr after failing to reason with the new ruler to finish Wilhelm’s final vision. Heinrich never officially enforced any policies criminalizing or segregating children of men and children of nature, perhaps out of respect for the past services of Seiros and her kind. However, he also did nothing to quell the ill sentiments and extreme actions taken by Adrestians disdainful of children of nature. This stance was currently adopted by the incumbent ruler, Leonard, who was till now, still struggling to bring Arestia back to its former glory after the devastating Dagda-Brigid war that left much of the nation impoverished. This post-war period also marked the height of human-werehuman tension, resulting in the massacre of Nabatean maned wolves living in Adrestia by an extremist group of men. After a violent confrontation that resulted in the deaths of all these men, the majority of the already scarce race of Nabatean wolves, and even some innocent citizens, Seiros and the survivals of her kind formed a pack and left for the depths of the Red Canyon, never to be heard nor seen again by the rest of Adrestia._

_Jeralt stopped in his tracks as he arrived at a vast, colorful field of flowers. His eyes panned to a bed of valerians that was being tended by a young woman with wavy pine green locks. Her equally beautiful sage green eyes glimmering with light, her expression cold but gentle. Her perked up ears and tail were those of ashen color dusted with pine green at the tips. The young woman was humming a strange but soothing melody that seemed to take hold of Jeralt’s legs and kept him walking closer unknowingly. Noticing the rustling sounds of something approaching, lifted her head to look up at the bear of a young man with wild, dirty blond hair and who seemed to be entranced by her melodious tune. The moment gentle sage green irises locked into earthy brown ones, it was like a magnificent garden of valerian was blooming inside Jeralt’s mind, one Jeralt couldn’t take his eyes off despite him never being a man who cared for flowers before. It felt like an eternity passed between the two wolves before Jeralt finally spoke up in a gentle and nervous voice uncharacteristic of the rugged young man:_

_“That song you were singing… May I know its name?”_

_"…"_

_“... Ah! My name is Jeralt. Oghma wolf from the southeast of the mountain. I was wandering around hunting and stumbled here…”_

_"…"_

_“... S-Sorry if I’m bothering you. I know that Nabatean wolves don’t welcome outsiders to their territory. I-I’ll leave now…”, Jeralt grew nervous at the sight of sage green irises staring blankly at him._

_“... It’s a traditional song of the Nabateans, passed down through generations…” Her voice seemed strangled from lack of use but carried much tenderness and warmth which now spread to her beautiful green eyes as well. “And I’m called Sitri… Nice to meet you, Je..Jeralt”._

__

__

_A faint smile now graced her soft pink lips and Jeralt could swear he could feel his stomach and whole face firing up from cheeks to ears. That was the moment Jeralt finally understood what people meant when they spoke of the concept of “love at first sight”._

* * *

_It took much trial and tribulations for Jeralt to take Sitri’s hand in union. Her mother, Seiros, was fiercely against the idea of her child cohabitating separately from the last pack of its kind with anyone other than another Nabatean wolf. After all, her younger brother Seteth is living together with another Nabatean wolf estranged from Adrestia’s human society after King Heinrich assumed power, and they were happily raising their own child Flayn. However, Sitri had begged her mother to be able to live freely with Jeralt in the woods of Oghma mountain, and she promised to visit the pack at least once every moon. Ever since the emotionally muted Sitri met and got closer to Jeralt, she had become much more expressive and lively than before, something that warmed Seiros heart greatly while sometimes reminding her of her short-lived but happy life back then with Wilhelm. She remembered how happy she would be whenever she could spend time with the man and help him accomplish important milestones in his governance of Adrestia. This sentiment was what eventually compelled her to let Sitri go live with Jeralt, and the woman would eagerly await visits from daughter and her Oghma wolf husband every three moons._

_It wasn’t until Sitri became pregnant with Byleth that she told her mother - eight months into her pregnancy - she’d need to temporarily stop visiting her to give birth and take care of her pup. However, Sitri was born a sickly wolf so giving birth to Byleth took quite the toll on her already weak constitution, so the Eisner couple decided to hold off until after Byleth was fully weaned to continue visiting the Nabatean pack again. Due to her poor health, Sitri would often stay behind in the den to nurse her pup while Jeralt would head out to hunt for the family by himself. Unbeknownst to the young couple, Jeralt’s daily activities were tailed by a hidden pair of lilac eyes deep in the bushes to concoct the perfect strategy for hunting down whatever was hiding in that den._

_Byleth was nearly nine months of age, close to being fully weaned, when Sitri was taken away from this world. The day Sitri died was most likely premeditated, with the den’s surroundings being somehow completely devoid of game to hunt, forcing Jeralt to stray far away from his family to get food. When he came back, Sitri’s body was nowhere to be found and the den was covered in her blood, the dead bodies of five men dressed in black, and a vile scent of blood foreign to the corpses on the ground. It seemed that in her final moments of desperation, Sitri mustered up all the strength left in her weakened body to attack the murderers who eventually got away. The scent of her killers was still present, trailing away from the den into the forest. An anguished howl came from the now berserk Jeralt in his wolf form as he prepared to run after the killer, before a piercing cry came from the rocks hidden deep inside the den. Tears streamed down his face as he found a distressed pup Byleth crying for her mother’s milk, her tiny paws holding onto the amethyst mythril ring Jeralt had given to Sitri upon their proposal. As he sobbed and held little Byleth in his arms, he swore to never venture away from his family ever again and protect the only child he had with Sitri with his life, which he could not foolishly throw away by chasing after her killers._

* * *

“... After we heard Byleth’s cry, we ran back as fast as we could to the river. But the bastard human dragged her down the waterfall with him before we could reach her. There were many nasty injuries on her body, it seemed that she took on six heavily armed men by herself”

Alois grimaced as he spoke to Jeralt at the edge of the waterfall, his voice shaky and emotional. The Eisner pack rushed down the river where Byleth went missing immediately that day after Alois and Caspar came back to report the emergency. Leonie was standing beside the pack leader, face contorted in grief and anger. Young Caspar was hiding his face by slumping his head downwards, angrily wiping his own tears as he muffled back his sobs. By his side, a shaking Bernadetta was weeping aloud and comforted by Caspar’s free hand. A contemplative Linhardt was examining the dead hunters’ bodies and their strange weapons along with Petra in her wolf form. Occasionally, Linhardt would reach out his hands to feel the Brigidian wolf’s famously soft fur, probably to calm himself from the bloody mess.

“I can’t imagine normal weapons of men being able to hurt Byleth that much. She’s one of our best fighters after all. Judging from the gleam of these blades, however, I suspect these weapons were made of an atypical material that could cut through our physiological defenses unlike normal arms”, muttered the young man with forest green hair. His lapis blue eyes scanning the blood-stained weapons thoroughly with immense discomfort. He detests the sight of blood after all. “All their weapons seem to be made with this material, though most likely only partially since the gleam and coloration is rather uneven. All these men are also dressed in similar black clothing. It seems that they’re from the same clan of sorts. Perhaps there is an organized effort in the works to hunt down us children of nature, and they’re testing out their newly improved arms?”

The whole pack went stiff at Linhardt’s words, Caspar and Bernadetta too shocked to keep crying, their faces drained of color. Meanwhile, a deep growl came from Petra whose entire body fur was now standing up in anger.

After a long, tensed silence, Jeralt finally spoke up, slowly but his tone filled with anger and resolution.

“Everyone set up camp and rest up. We head down the stream to search for Byleth at dawn. Together. No one stray 3 feet away from each other, clear?”

The whole pack agreed in unison as each wolf went about with their own tasks. Jeralt sighed deeply as he gazed intently down the waterfall, his hold on Sitri’s ring tightening as the amethyst glint reflected in his determined brown eyes.

“Kid, you’ve gotta stay alive. Dad’s coming for you this time”

* * *

It had been four days since Edelgard encountered Byleth and began healing her injuries. Every day, the chestnut-haired girl would pack up and come to her favorite spot in the forest to tend to and talk with her new wolfling friend. After their rocky initial greeting, the two had gradually grown closer and shared their family backgrounds and life stories to each other. Initially, Byleth had let the smaller girl do all the talking while she listened and occasionally made a small comment or vocal reaction, as she deemed it a fairly pleasant distraction from her aching joints and a decent way to kill time. Eventually though, Byleth began sharing some details of her own life and her rowdy pack, perhaps to keep the conversations going, or perhaps simply because she had grown fonder of the human girl and wanted to see more of her expressiveness.

Edelgard soon learned that Byleth’s pack consisted of many adoptive siblings Jeralt picked up after going back to living a nomadic life after her mother’s death. That Byleth’s siblings consist of typical rockhead wolves who are obsessed with hunting and honing their fighting skills and some eccentric wolves who indulge in “human” activities like researching medicinal herbs or drawing and creating needworks of weird stuff. Meanwhile, Byleth learned about El’s family, her love and passion for geography and history, and her aspirations for the future - to become an even greater cartographer than her father and use her influence to lobby for improved policies from Enbarr officials regarding children of misfortune and children of nature.

However, the brunette would always refrain from talking about her uncle, only mentioning that she knew people who were against recognizing were humans as official Adrestian citizens and advocated the segregation of the two races. Perhaps out of fear of rousing Byleth once again when she was still injured. The more the two of them bonded and talked about each other’s experiences and beliefs though, the more Edelgard was determined to talk sense into Thales the next time they meet. 

...

“So… some of your siblings actually prefer to stay in half-human form instead of wolf form? But I thought wolf form is way stronger?”, asked the curious smaller girl as she applied medicinal herbs on Byleth’s knee. Her shoulder and leg wounds had sealed off now, with no bluish hue left before closing up, but still very swollen. Other bruises on her body had also turned into a benign pale yellow that should be gone for good in a few days. Edelgard smiled contentedly at the rate of Byleth’s recovery.

“Wolf form is better- argh... for hunting game and most physical activities. But stuff like fishing is easier with hands instead of paws. Sticks get the job done better than chasing them around in four legs. Gets... exhausted too quickly”, the wolfing spoke as she gritted her teeth through particularly painful throbs while Edelgard listened intently.

“That makes sense! Though in half-human form you still have much more enhanced senses and reflex than humans so you could quickly pin fish with your stick alone. For us, fishing is a really slow activity. You wait for fish to come and reel them in with a fishing rod from the riverbed”

“A rod?”, Byleth’s ears perked up and her cornflower eyes sparkled with keen interest. Fish always somehow found a way into their conversation and the wolfling always grew more excited, evident by the furious wagging of her tail, whenever the topic was brought up. A soft chuckle came from Edelgard’s lips at the sight of the usually stoic Byleth being all cute and roused up, which prompted a pink flush on the wild teen’s cheeks. Whenever the brunette laughed, those strange feelings would always stir inside Byleth’s stomach, even when she wasn’t even hungry. It was frustrating but also calming and admittedly rather enjoyable the sound of the smaller girl’s happy voice.

“It’s made out of a stick, preferably a pretty flexible one, with a durable, thin string tied to it’s head. The end of the string has a hook to attach food for the fish, usually worms or dried maize. You throw the food to the water then wait for the fish to come eat the bait and get hooked to reel it in”, explained Edelgard as she mimicked the fishing motions with her hands for the highly intrigued wolfling. “I find it somewhat boring but it can be a calming leisure activity once in a while, I guess”, admitted the brunette.

“It doesn’t sound very efficient if you’re hungry. But guess I can see the merit in sitting back and enjoying the beauty of nature. I also see fishing as a relaxing activity, even if the goal is still to catch as many fish as I can to fill my hungry belly”, the wolfling hummed in contemplation. Her fluffy ears were still perked up and her tail is now wagging at a much more leisurely pace. 

“You know, you’re actually kind of cute… when you’re not being all poker-faced and grumpy, that is. You should act your age more often~”, teased Edelgard as she subconsciously reached her hand towards Byleth’s head before halting in her movements abruptly.The urge to touch the wolfling’s soft ears and tail was simply too irresistible and the smaller girl had to will herself from acting upon her instincts. A pink tint dusted Edelgard’s cheeks when she noticed the teen staring at her - she definitely knew what was going on in the brunette’s mind. 

“S-Sorry I....”

“You wanna touch my ears, don’t you”, snickered the wolf teen. “Go ahead… Guess I gotta repay your favor somehow...”, Byleth muttered as a pang of conflict hit and got her tail twitching in annoyance. Why was she getting excited about letting the human girl pet her? Lilac orbs sparkled with excitement as Edelgard hastily put down the medicine cloth then slowly reached out her hands towards the wolfling. 

Beads of sweat broke down Byleth’s back as she desperately tried to calm down the violent thumpings of her usually still heart. No one has ever gotten this close in proximity to the teen before, the stoic wolfling was never one for socializing and bonding with others, especially when she had been raised by her hardened father her whole life. Jeralt became very quiet and physically distant after Sitri’s death and even though the man never once made Byleth feel neglected or unloved, physical affection was a foreign concept to the Eisners. Even after the pack became more rowdy with new faces Jeralt would pick up from his wandering life, no member of the pack ever got this close with Byleth. She always kept an amicable relationship with respectable distance between training partners like Alois, Petra, Leonie, and Caspar. While Linhardt and Bernadetta were simply too reclusive or too engrossed in their own world to get close with anyone else.

Lilac eyes looked into cornflower ones as if to ask for a final confirmation before Edelgard’s palm began cupping fluffy ashen ears. Soft white fingers started rubbing Byleth’s ears with utmost gentleness as the smaller girl’s eyes were gleaming with starstruck awe. 

“They’re... even softer than I could ever imagine…” Edelgard inched even closer, eyes still glued to those soft tips she didn’t notice the wofling’s face was now as red as a ripe tomato. Noticing the wolfing’s tail wagging excitedly, the brunette shifted her gaze to her tail before looking at Byleth’s eyes once again.

“C-Can I?”

“... S-Sure, I guess..”

Soft palms reached out and began stroking Byleth’s fluffy tail as Edelgard muttered words of awe to herself. Her other hand continued to rub the wolf’s ears, which were now laying back timidly as if embarrassed. Her fingers gently undo some messy knots in the wofling’s fur as she hummed in content. Byleth almost instinctively wanted to push the smaller girl away but the rhythmic motions of her gentle fingers were indeed very soothing, perhaps a tad too enjoyable. It had been ages since she was petted so gently petted by, well, anyone at all. Byleth let the smaller girl continue until a soft whimper came from her throat. The widen eyed wolfing immediately covered her mouth and inched herself away from the smaller girl’s touch, completely caught off guard by the vulnerability she just showed to the human girl. Edelgard too was equally flustered, the tips of her ears reddened upon witnessing the odd sound and utterly foreign facial expression from the wolfling who was usually so stoic and quiet.

“S-So tell me again…”, Byleth stammered as she cleared her throat loudly. “The fishing rod! Yes! With enough practice, can it be used to catch lots of fish quickly?” her voice cracked as she tried something, _anything,_ to break the awkward atmosphere of what just happened.

“Ah, yes! Yes of course! My big brother is really good at fishing”, stammered the smaller girl as she quickly pulled away from the teen and retracted her hands. Exhaling a quick breath to recover herself, she continued. “He always knows just where to cast his line and when to reel them, so he always comes back with full buckets. I’m not very good at it… and I always get lost in the beautiful scenery so I barely catch any”, her eyes were calming and gentle again as a soft giggle escape her small pink lips, spreading a tint of pink across her soft cheeks that quickly spread to Byleth’s as well. This human girl is seriously unfair, thought Byleth.

“... So I take it that you’re the one in between amidst all your extreme siblings, spending half of the time in wolf form and the other half in half-human form?”

“... You could say that, I guess. My older sister Petra also loves fishing but she’s almost never seen out of her wolf form. Always preferring to do things, even fishing, as a wolf. Even though it’s super tiring in that form. No matter how hard I tried to convince her about sticks being superior tools”, huffed the wolf teen. “And Alois… He takes on half-human form to fish like me and dad but he’s always so _noisy_ that none of the fish come to him! Non-stop puns and sudden loud bursts of laughter that puts me out of focus. I swear going fishing with him is the worst...”, 

Byleth’s voice trailed off at the end and there were ripples of sadness in those deep blue pools. Her injuries have been making great progress in healing but she couldn’t walk properly - it still hurt too much to move around for a long period of time. Edelgard’s presence was great comfort but the poor wolfing was beginning to miss her family.

“... Let me teach you how to fish with a rod. Then later when you... return to your pack... you can show this technique to your siblings who prefer less physically intensive activities! Your injury is healing really well too, so I think it’d only take about two more days before you can walk properly again”, Edelgard broke the melancholic silence between them abruptly, unable to bear looking at Byleth’s drooping ears and tail any longer. An uncomfortable feeling gnawed at the corners of her heart as she spoke. “Wait for me a bit. I’ll bring my fishing gear from home and some more food here, okay?”, 

“Mmm”, hummed Byleth as the corner of her lips curved up slightly. This human girl really was too soft-hearted. But why did Byleth too felt a dreaded gloom brewing within heart as well?

* * *

With the woven basket in her arms, Edelgard rushed past the bushes and headed to the townsquare. She just wanted to be left alone to her thoughts right now. Why was she feeling so much discomfort at the idea of Byleth being able to return to her pack? She was healing Byleth’s injuries so wolfling could return to her kind instead of staying stranded in Remire and potentially run into more hunters, wasn’t she? She should be happy that Byleth would be able to walk normally again soon... right?

So lost in her own thoughts Edelgard didn’t notice a young boy in front of her calling out her name until she crashed into him. The small girl covered her basket to prevent more from spilling out and glanced up to apologize to the boy until her eyes met with a sharp topaz gaze. There was something not quite the same about the way he looked at her, as if there was some hidden knowledge behind those eyes, but Edelgard couldn’t quite tell what was different about his gaze.

“My apologies. I didn’t notice you were in such a hurry”

“H-Hubert! Sorry! It was my fault, running without looking at my surroundings. Why are you apologizing?” stammered Edelgard as she hastily gathered the medicine and art supplies. Pale boney fingers reached out as the boy proceeded to help his friend recover her fallen things.

“... Your uncle’s leg injury must be getting better. He’s been frequently visiting Remire as of late. The man just arrived in town last night at my father’s”

“Oh, I didn’t know he was acquainted with Sir Marquis. No wonder his visits had been longer than before when he was only visiting us”. Her uncle never spoke much with anyone in Remire, from what Edelgard knew. She supposed eventually he would begin making new friends the more often he visited the town.

“From my observation, her- his injuries have gotten much better. By this time there should be minimal to no poisonous substance left”, muttered the dark-haired boy methodically. He reached into his pocket to pull out a small vial of grinded dried herbs and handed it to Edelgard. “Tomorrow should be the last batch of medicine, correct? To speed up the recovery of muscle strength so he could walk normally again, I’d recommend you add an extra serving of rocky burdock to revitalize the joints. That should conclude the give-day treatment successfully”

 _Right, the treatment was meant to take only five days._ Resignation washed over pale lilac orbs as Edelgard brought herself back to reality. She accepted the vial from Hubert with an appreciative thanks before she suddenly realized: Thales had always walked normally since the last time they met where she informed Hubert she was making a healing concoction for her injured uncle. So why was Hubert saying all of this…?

Panic flooded her eyes as she looked up to question the taller boy but she was already greeted by his back as he walked further away from her and into the crowd of the townsquare. Hubert paused in his steps and glanced over his shoulders at her before he spoke.

“By the way, Kronya says hi. She’s been waiting for you to come over so she could finally give you that self-defense lesson she’s been so eager about. Oh and also, your uncle is visiting you again today it seems. I saw his clansmen arriving at the local inn a bit earlier”, the boy waved the back of his hand before disappearing into the market.

* * *

“Edelgard, it’s good to see you again”, Thales’ face brightened up at the sight of his niece walking through the front door. Edelgard’s brows furrowed as she glanced upon the sangria-colored fur scarf wrapped around his neck. “Out drawing the mountains and forest again today, little one?”

“Uncle Thales. I didn’t know you were visiting today”, Edelgard replied indifferently as she joined seats with her father and brother.

“Actually… I have something I need you and Bernard to help me with…”, admitted the taller man, his voice was uncharacteristically sheepish. It was rare for the hardened man to act like this at all. Understanding dawned on the von Hresvelg siblings: This matter is related to his sweetheart, Cornelia.

“Something happened between you and Madam Cornelia?”, quipped Bernard playfully.

Thales smiled as he exhaled softly “You could say that, my boy. See I’ve made her upset and she’s been giving your uncle the cold shoulder treatment. It was entirely my fault, I was being rather hot-headed and we got into an argument…” He was sheepishly playing with his gloved hand as he spoke.” Say… what would you kids do if you were me to ask for her forgiveness?”

“Perhaps you could buy her something nice? Like clothing or jewelry?”, suggested Ionus.

“Ah I did think about it but I always give her new coats and scarves from my... ahem, daily work” the man replied awkwardly as the von Hrevelgs shifted uncomfortably in their seats. “I think I should try something more special this time…”

“Food always brings people together. I think you should give her something she can never say no to… like sweets! Yes, something sweet, and flowers!”, Bernard exclaimed. “It can help get a makeup conversation started, I’m sure!”

“Ah yes, of course! Papa always… got Mama baked sweets from miss Ladislava, along with some tea. They make for a pleasant conversation. I’m sure Madam Cornelia would enjoy it!” Edelgard clasped her hands together excitedly. She didn’t always get along well with Thales but he had always been nice to their family and they have grown closer after Anselma’s passing despite their differences. She was pleased to see a different, more emotional side to her usually stoic uncle and was eager to help him out with his troubles as family.

“Miss... Ladislava, you say? I’ve heard from the townspeople that her bakery makes excellent pastries and desserts. Though I never tried them myself since I’m not the biggest fan of sweets”

“You _have_ to try her baked goods, uncle. They’re simply the best! I’m confident that she makes better pastries than even the most esteemed partissiers in Enbarr. Madam Cornelia would forget about all her troubles the instant she bites into those exquisite soft buns!”, the young girl exclaimed with much enthusiasm. “But you have to eat them with her too. That’s how you make your bonds stronger after all!”

“All right. Would you mind accompanying me on my trip to Miss Ladislava, then? My little El would definitely know the best she has to offer for my Cornelia”, Thales flashed a rare smile.

“Okay. And I’ll help you pick the most suitable tea and flower set for her too!”. _And Byleth has yet to have a taste of miss Ladislava’s baked sweets. I should get her a bunch as well. Can’t let her leave without having tried her partisan goods,_ thought Edelgard. 

“Let’s go, uncle!”

* * *

Miss Ladislava’s partisan bakery was a humble one-story house painted in a homey shade of sepia, topped with an oat-colored roof. The sweet, sugary smell of baked goods and pleasant aroma of various blends of tea - most notably chamomile - enticed all who walked near to come inside. The kind olive-haired woman captured both the hearts and appetite of the people of Remire since she first moved to the small town. Almost everyone in the town got their baked goods from her partisan bakery, with the von Hresvelgs being the most frequent customers. Even the von Vestra household in which everyone tended to avoid confectionery and pretty much anything sweet would drop by Miss Ladislava’s every once in a while to indulge in some of her signature coffee with dark chocolate cookies. 

Aside from her culinary talents, miss Ladislava was also well-regarded by the people of Remire for her great love and undying fidelity for her late husband, Randolph who lost his life during the great war against the Dagda-Brigid alliance. Ladislava met the forever love of her life in Remire when she was travelling around to gather exotic fruits and ingredients - the Oghma forest was famous for its exquisite currants. The couple settled down in Randolph’s house and decided to run a bakery business together under Ladislava’s moniker. Despite it having started out purely as a sweet bakery, Randolph often pleaded with his wife to add “mixed” pastries like meat pies and pheasant berry pastries - the man always insisted to have some protein to go with his carbs. It was said that the usually serious Ladislava would always be seen in her brightest smile whenever she was around her beloved husband. However, Randolph was soon drafted in the army for his excellence in warfare combat and strategy when he was studying in Enbarr, and eventually gave his life protecting Adrestia from foreign invaders at the age of thirty five. Ladislava lost much of the luster in her coral eyes and was rarely seen smiling as brilliantly after her husband’s passing. However, the legacy of her bakery lived on till today in the town of Remire, and Ladislava’s business saw even greater success after introducing a new chef’s signature - Randolph’s fruit and herring tart.

“I think the reason why miss Ladislava’s baked sweets taste so good is because she handpicks fresh ingredients every day! By examining them up close, she can choose only the highest quality fruits and meats for her pastries. When I travelled to Enbarr, even the most famous bakeries didn’t make pies that taste as fresh and delicious as hers!”, Edelgard exclaimed with great enthusiasm as she led Thales to the aromatic sepia house.

“I was never big on pastries but from your description alone I’m already getting a craving myself. Great job, Little Red”, chuckled the tall man.”Ah, It seems that we have arrived”

“I’ll ask miss Ladislava for her best sellers. And uncle, you should also tell her the types of ingredients Madam Cornelia likes as well! I’m sure she’ll give you all her best delicacies!”

“All right”

A pleasant chime echoed in the air as the door to Ladislava’s bakery was opened by the eager little girl. The olive-haired woman stopped pouring tea into a new cup as she looked up to greet her new customer.

“Good afternoon, Edelgard! I haven’t seen you in a while. What can I get for you today, little one?”, a gentle smile graced her lips.

“Miss Ladislava! Just the usual for me, though today is a bit more special”, giggled Edelgard. “You see, my uncle is going through a lover’s quarrel with his sweetheart and he wants to make it up to her with a tea party date!”

“Oh how lovely! Indeed, a cozy tea break with delicious pastries and a pleasant chat can go a long way in forming stronger bonds and improving everyone’s moods. Randolph and I would always make some time to have afternoon tea together everyday...”, nostalgia shrouded her coral irises and her lips curved into a faint, melancholic smile, causing Edelgard herself to be caught in an immense feeling of sadness as well.

“Anyways…”, Ladislava cleared her throat and continued “Can you tell me what kind of fruits or typical dishes your uncle’s lady enjoys? I’ll help you pick pastries that she could never resist!”

“Ah right. Uncle, come in and tell miss Ladislava what Madam Cornelia likes. She’ll help you select the best baked sweets for your tea party date!”

“All right…” Thales stepped after having been outside enjoying the warm aroma of the bakery from the outside. “ Let me see… My dear Cornelia always enjoys -”

_Smash_

The china pot that was held in Ladislava’s hand dropped to the floor and broke into pieces, spilling hot ginger tea all over the floor as the woman in olive hair locked her gaze onto the tall man with umbra brown hair, staring intently at the scarf on his neck.

“M-Miss Ladislava… Uncle...?”, Edelgard turned to her uncle whose form was now rigid, pale lilac eyes wild and gleaming with an ominous gleam unlike she had ever seen him before. The little girl in red quickly turned to Ladislava and was immediately startled by the older woman’s uncharacteristically hostile face. The most shocking thing of all: her coral eyes were now a bloody crimson, pupils narrowed into menacing slits - a look Edelgard knew all too well from her initial encounter with the child of the wild, Byleth!

In a flash, Ladislava’s irises turned back into her usual warm coral as she turned her back to the man and little girl, grabbing her broomstick as she muttered in a deep, low voice none had ever heard from the gentle-hearted woman before.

“I must apologize, Edelgard and Sir. I’m… suddenly feeling unwell. Please.. go ahead and grab your sweet bun trio… You can also take some of each of the best sellers on the front shelf… They’d go well with some… chamomile blend, I believe”, she spoke weakly as she cleaned up the mess, avoiding to look at Edelgard and Thales. “Please leave the payment on the counter. I’ll be closing down for the day in a moment… Thank you… And please forgive my clumsiness”. Those were her last words to them as she turned away and quietly disappeared to the kitchen.

Edelgard swallowed back her words as she looked helplessly at the older woman’s slumped figure. After grabbing all the treats recommended by Ladislava, Thales silently led his niece out of the bakery, that strange gleam still present in the depths of his lilac eyes. Edelgard turned around to glance at the bakery one last time before the lights were off and the “close” sign was hung up. She began contemplating what to say to her uncle after everything that just happened, only for her train of thoughts to be interrupted as Thales raised his voice.

“I know this might come as a short notice but your family and I will be on a business trip to the town of Varley upon the request of Mayor von Aegir. We shall depart at dawn, tomorrow.”

“W-What…”

“Your father had insisted to take Bernard and you both with him. Bernard to meet with famed sculptors in Enbarr and you to learn more about the life and duties of an Adrestian cartographer. The Mayor has tasked me with protecting all of you during this two-day trip along with several Agarthan hunters, as we will need to cross a few wild landscapes on our journey and my men are amongst the most well-travelled in Adrestia... So you should get ready for the trip as soon as possible, El. Perhaps after dinner once we get home.”

Edelgard could swear she heard the sound of her heart dropping at the sudden news from her uncle. The fading figure of an unruly dark teal mane flashed through her mind. Her hands grabbed tightly onto the woven basket that contained the ingredients for Byleth’s last serving of healing medicine. Widened lilac orbs bored into the basket of baked goods that contained the bag of sweet bun trio she had gotten for the wolfling, which Thales was now holding.

* * *

Meanwhile, on the other side of Oghma mountain down along the waterfall, a magenta wolf was sniffing around the area before reporting back to the leader of her pack.

“My apologies for the lateness, Jeralt. It is very difficult to track her scent due to the water be washing most of it away. I am finding the scent Byleth’s blood leading to the bottom of the stream. It is very faint but I am sure it is belong to her. She must be washed down the place of men already. I am having great certainty of this”

Earthy brown eyes gleamed with fiery determination as Jeralt spoke resolutely.

“Then we depart for the town of men before the sun rises.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... All good things must come to an end eventually. After all, the fall season is fast approaching and carnations only bloom brightly during the summer...
> 
> Did the truth about Ladislava catch you off guard? I always liked her in the game and found her to have much potential but alas too little screen time. Ladislava and Randolph are always seen together in CF so I figured, eh why not? ~~Even though I seldom entertain the idea of a one-sided Ladislava/Edelgard from the former, especially in non-CF routes.~~ In this story, Caspar and Randolph are _not_ related since they're of different races to avoid too much complications.
> 
> More drama and angst will be coming in the next chapters as we reach events that are key to the story development and approach the time skip. Other characters will start to appear later as well, since the first part of the story when Edeleth met is still a bit self-contained between them. Until next time!


	4. Before the Fall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Their last day together as children before the fall

Edelgard’s eyes widened in surprise. She was expecting to have at least one more full day to heal Byleth until this sudden trip was somehow brought to her knowledge. Hands grabbed tightly onto her woven basket as she remembered she hadn’t made tomorrow’s concoction for the injured wolfling yet, that she also had to let Byleth taste those sweet buns at least once before she left, and that she hadn’t even gotten to teach Byleth how to fish with a rod. In an instant just like that, her time left with the ashen wolf had almost been diminished entirely, like a delicate carnation at the end of summer approaching fall, whose withering petals were blown away unexpectedly by a strong gust of wind, signaling the rapidly changing season. That uncomfortable feeling returned once again to gnaw at her heart, as a sense of dread began rising to her throat, threatening to fog up already dulling lilac irises.

“No… Not yet! I still have some things to do… at the von Vestras!” exclaimed the brunette so suddenly even the normally calm Thales was rather taken aback.

“... Yes, Kronya recently asked me to lend her my... fishing rod! And recently Hubert gifted me some of his self-grown coffee beans and I’ve promised to treat him… with some of miss Ladislava’s sweet bun trio...”

But the von Vestras never touch sweet things, ah drat! Edelgard caught her lie slipping as she stammered to make up a more believable excuse as her uncle was now looking at her with a raised brow.

“I-I managed to convince him to try them with his family’s melted dark chocolate jam. And I also wanted to try out a more mature flavored preserve with my bread as well! Uncle, please tell my father and brother that I’ll visit Hubert’s for just an hour then come home to prepare for the trip!”

“... All right, I’ll tell them. It’s always great to see you spending more time around friends than in your lonesome, Little Red” Thales gave a weak smile before dropping the topic altogether.

* * *

Once they arrived home, Edelgard quickly grabbed the fishing rod and her bag of buns before heading out as Thales filled her father and brother in. She used the front door to avoid drawing any further suspicion due to her hasty behavior, taking a bit longer to reach their designated spot. Byleth was standing at the edge of the river, her back facing Edelgard when she returned. The wolfing was enjoying the serene atmosphere of the calming river while supporting herself with a coarse stick, as it was still rather uncomfortable for her to move around even with the injuries already closed off. Sensing rustling sound and the familiar soothing scent of carnations approaching, the wolf teen perked up her ears in interest as she turned to the smaller girl

“Finally. Took you long enough”

Edelgard rolled her eyes at Byleth’s pretense of coldness. As if the wolfing wasn’t on the verge of rolling over for a full-on rubdown session from the younger girl.

“I was running some... family errands. And getting extra ingredients to speed up _your_ recovery, mind you”, grumbled the smaller girl. “You can afford to be more honest with your feelings, you know?”, Edelgard scoffed at the teen as she sorted out her basket.

“Wha-”

Byleth was going to protest until she caught a whiff of a sugary, milky fragrant that fills her senses with warmth. The brunette held the bag of sweet bun trio in front of the wolfling’s face.

“Here. I got you some goods from the best bakery in Adrestia! You _have_ to try Miss Ladislava’s buns at least once in your life. They’re simply divine!”

Slowly, Byleth unwrapped the bag, holding up fluffy white buns in her hands as she sniffed them through vigorously, pinching the outside slightly with her fingers.

“This food. Bernadetta once brought back some scrap of these she found during a hunting trip with Leonie and dad… Made of wheat and eggs I think. Tasted okay, bit rough though” 

“Those must have been thrown away by some wasteful people. I honestly don’t get why anyone would waste food. It takes much effort to farm and cook”, Edelgard stopped herself from going on a ramble about the wasteful nobles she had seen in Enbarr and even some of the more well-off people of Remire. “Anyways, these are freshly made so you should dig in while they’re still warm. Who knows, you might even grow addicted to them once you’ve had a taste.”

Byleth rolled her eyes at the smaller girl’s dramatics, preparing to dismiss it until she bit into the buns and felt a rush of sweet, heartiness pooling her senses. The bun was incredibly soft but not mushy, the outside giving a light, satisfying chew but not crunchy or too sharply contrasting its soft insides. A sweet and slightly tangy liquid oozes out from the inside - Albinean berries and some kind of fruit as the filling, Byleth noted. The combination of softness, subtle sweetness, chewiness, and the light tang elicited an appreciative hum from the teen, causing Edelgard’s face to light up at the sight of Byleth enjoying herself so much.

“T-This is some really good stuff! What is it called again?”

“Sweet bun trio. The bread itself is made from flour, egg, and sugar, dashed with a light coat of egg wash for the shiny golden coat. The inside is stuffed with Albinean berries for sweetness and delicately sour Noa fruit, balancing everything out to create the perfect subtle sweetness dashed with a healthy amount of tanginess” Edelgard’s eyes were sparkling with adoration as she spoke passionately about the baked goods, which Byleth found very cute, again. “It’s my favorite from Miss Ladislava’s. Mama’s too…” A hint of sadness flashed through lilac irises before Byleth reached out to offer the girl in red a warm bun.

“You can have all of it. I’m not hungry now and I already eat her buns every week”, smiled Edelgard. “Besides, there’s not a lot to eat around here in the past few days till you got well enough to walk a bit. And you don’t often get to eat such things, living with your pack in the wild and all…” That unpleasant feeling returned to both of them once again.

Byleth nodded silently before making quick work of the bag of bread. The little girl noted that the wolfling seemed to particularly enjoy the fruit, always trying to take a full bite of both the bread and the filling. The teen was enjoying it so much that her face seemed a bit dazed off in awe after she finished, some fruit jam got on the side of her cheeks. Edelgard chuckled to herself softly before reaching Byleth’s face and wiping the mess off with her thumb. 

“Told you you’d love it. Also, you got some on your face. Messy wolf”, snicked Edelgard. “You must have really enjoyed it then”

“Mmmm” Byleth hummed in agreement before training cornflower eyes on the jam and white crumbs stuck on Edelgard’s thumb that was withdrawing from her face. Mind still entranced by the wonderful flavor she just devoured, the wolfling mindlessly leaned in and lapped up the residue sweetness on dainty fingers. Edelgard’s face burned at the sudden act of intimacy, lilac orbs staring at Byleth’s sharp teeth poking out from her lips and those hooded, now deep blue eyes fixated on her thumb. 

“B-Byleth…”

The wolfling came back to her senses from hearing Edelgard’s gasp. Cornflower orbs quickly averted from lilac ones as Byleth immediately put some space between them, panicking to come up with an excuse for her unsightly behavior.

“S-Sorry, I just-”

“I-It’s okay! Miss Ladislava’s baked sweets are just that good, I know… I used to lick Mama’s fingertips too when she wiped the crumbs off my face as a kid all the time”, stammered the smaller girl. _Well, only once and Mama scolded me for eating so messily too so I never did it again,_ Edelgard thought. In the end, she chose to rationalize this with Byleth’s nature as a child of the wild. _That’s all it is. Right._

“Right… Still, I’m sorry for being so… direct. No! I mean- argh”, groaned Byleth. She wondered if she should just shut her trap at this point. 

“Ah! How about the rod? Did you bring it?”, yelped the teen.

“Ah yes! Yes, I did. Just a moment...”, Edelgard scrambled for the gear, more out of nervousness. “... Here! The fishing rod”

The teen’s clumsy fingers grasped unfamiliarly at the wooden rod, gleaming cornflower eyes inspecting every inch of the tool, while her other hand testing the strength of the string and sturdiness of its hook. A satisfied hum came once she finished her inspection.

“This looks like it could work”

“It surely will. Let me show you!”, Edelgard excitedly held the wolfing’s hand and guided her to the riverbed.

…

“Hah! That was a good catch!”, Byleth exclaimed enthusiastically as she and Edelgard settled down with the rod as well as all the fish they caught.

The two children spent over an hour learning how to fish with a rod, using the breadcrumbs from Edelgard’s drawing supplies to draw in schools of fish. Byleth stiffened several times when the smaller girl got touchy to instruct her how to properly hold the tool and position herself. The lingering warmth and scent of Edelgard’s touches caused the flustered wolfling to get all clammed up for a while until something new happened like the string getting pulled or her complaining about getting no catches still. Byleth was a quick learner, starting to reel in an increasing amount of fish after having let just two get away from bad posture or poor timing when reeling in. Soon, there were more than a dozen of fish scattered near the riverbed, only two of which were Edelgard’s catch. Byleth also taught Edelgard the humane method of killing fish quickly while preserving quality by piercing their hindbrain with a sharp needle, which also prevents them from jumping around and in their case, back into the river stream since the two didn’t have any basket to hold their caught fish.

The sun was setting down as the sound of fire crackling and herbs being grinded echoed near their pine tree. The teen wolf had made a small fire and was now grilling the herring they caught for dinner. Meanwhile, Edelgard was concocting tomorrow’s batch of medicine with a somber mood unbeknownst to the focused wolfling. After eating without exchanging any words for a while, Byleth finally spoke up to break the silence, voice noticeably lacking the callousness she usually displayed.

“Hey… You okay? You got noticeably quiet after we were done fishing… D-Did I do something wrong?”

Edelgard stopped grinding the medicine as a complicated glint flashed through her eyes. After a brief silence and a long sigh, she finally muttered “... No. You didn’t do anything wrong and I’m not mad at you. Don’t worry…”

“Oh.. Okay… That’s… good.”

The brunette was back to working on the medicine. Nervous cornflower eyes were fixed on rather dull lilac ones for a while before blinking. The wolfing awkwardly scratched her messy teal locks as she shied her eyes away and finally spoke bashfully.

“... Thanks for teaching me how to fish with the rod. It was… fun. Not as efficient as a stick but kinda relaxing in a way. Also not completely useless like I thought at first…”. Blue gaze flickered at the smaller girl who just finished making the concoction before asking. 

“... Can we do this again tomorrow?”

Another long-drawn silence blanketed the atmosphere before Edelgard finally looked into Byleth’s eyes with glistening lilac orbs and choked out.

“Byleth… I-I have to leave town tomorrow.”

“... What?”

“I will be on a business trip to the town of Varley with my family. It’ll take about two days or more, depending on the travel and weather conditions” Hands fumbling with the newly concocted medicine, she continued “... I’ve made the medicine for tomorrow, with an extra dose of rocky burdock. I also washed the cloth to apply it already, so you can use it tomorrow… With this stronger last batch, you will be able to walk normally again… All the poison residue in your injuries should be cleansed by then, and you will find much of your old strength in your body again. Then you can return to your pack… They must have been looking all over for you these past few days, and I know you miss them a lot too…” Edegard stuffed the concoction into Byleth’s hands and held onto them tightly. The teen could feel the smaller girl’s hands atop hers quivering and swallowed back her anguish. She couldn’t find the words to say as an invisible lump formed in her throat.

“.... When... tomorrow...?”

“At dawn… I-I need to get home to prepare soon...”, Edelgard’s voice was barely above a whisper, hands still clutching onto Byleth’s own. 

Silence once again strangled the air around them until Byleth begrudgingly tore her hands away from Edelgard to retrieve a peculiar necklace hidden underneath her torn grey shirt. A patch of ashen fur with dark teal tips was pinned with a small dull fang and and a roughly shaped indicolite gemstone, all held together by a coarse dark brown string. Emboldened by her emotions of this being the last time she would see Edelgard again, Byleth reached out and put the necklace on the smaller girl, giving a content smile as she gazed at the accessory now gleaming below Edelgard’s chest. 

“This is a custom necklace that Bernie made for each of us in the pack. Mine has a patch of my fur, my first baby tooth that Dad kept, and a gemstone that reminds her of me… It really does look good on you.”

Edelgard clutched at the necklace to remove it upon hearing that Bernadetta tailored it for Byleth, stammering her response. “N-No, this is... I couldn’t possibly-”

The wolf teen, as if possessed by her intense feelings, boldly reached out and pressed her palm onto the necklace as she whispered solemnly with a light smile on her face still.

“It’d mean the world to me if you take it. That’s all I have to give you. To… thank you for taking care of me and helped me through this hard time… P-Please. And never forget me, Edelgard. Because I know I could never forget you...”

Cornflower orbs were gleaming with sincerity and sadness against the flickering flames that were beginning to die down. Edelgard could not find the power to muster any words, nor could she will herself to turn down the sincere wolfling. It was the first and last time she would see such an expression on the teen’s normally stoic and indifferent face. Meanwhile, Byleth inhaled deeply as she finished with eyes focused on the girl in red, taking in her silky chestnut hair, her kind, mesmerizing pale lilac eyes, the crimson red hood she always wore that had already shown a small tear from years of use, her smooth snow white skin and soft cheeks, her dainty fingers that treated Byleth’s wounds with care every day that were now clutching tightly onto the necklace she just received, the warm, calming scent of carnation she always emitted that was now mixed with a slight sugary aroma from the sweet buns she brought earlier,... Byleth would never in her life forget this special human girl in front of her. Ever.

“Thank you, Byleth… And I will never forget about you too...”

* * *

It was around dinner time at the von Hresvelgs when Edelgard returned. Bernard had cooked some simple fish and bean soup to eat with the bread Thales got from the bakery. Her uncle was actually not joining them it seemed, he had asked to leave for a bit to attend to Cornelia and his group. She asked to not join the dining table, stating she got full from eating with Hubert and Kronya already and retreated to her room to prepare for the trip with a heavy heart. She had tugged the necklace Byleth gave her inside her clothing to avoid drawing attention from her uncle, as the Nabatean maned wolf had a very distinct shade of fur. In the end, Edelgard never gathered the courage to tell Byleth about Thales and never got to confront her uncle on what happened at the bakery. Her mind was consumed with thoughts about the trip, her relationship with Byleth, and scorning herself for being upset about Byleth returning to her pack. She was having a tough time falling asleep, her fingers kept on finding its way to the face of the necklace as her eyes fixated on that shimmering patch of fur and the blue gemstone that reminded Edelgard so much of Byleth’s blue eyes. After a few hours of unease, with hands clutching onto the parting gift from the wolfling, her heavy eyelids were finally about to close before there was a gentle knock coming from her door.

“... El, it’s me. May I come in?”

Ionus’ voice was slow and filled with concern. Edelgard tugged the necklace back underneath her white sleeping gown - it wasn’t thin enough to show there was something hidden underneath - before letting her father inside the room. Ionus took a seat on Edelgard’s study chair and observed his daughter quietly. She was indeed looking more and more like her mother the bigger she grew, bearing the same lovely style of straight hair and those gentle lilac eyes. Edelgard broke the silence after a while.

“Is there something on your mind, Papa?” 

“... I heard what happened this afternoon at miss Ladislava’s. It was unfortunate that your uncle’s first time meeting her had to end that way… I believed I’ve told him before to avoid donning such clothing around you especially but alas it had to be this time... ”

“C-Can I not come along tomorrow...?” Edelgard asked weakly, hands clutching at her bedsheets as she looked down and away from her father’s grey eyes.

“Are you that upset at your uncle?”

“I just… I do enjoy going on trips with you... But I don’t want him as our escort.” It was only half of the truth. “We’ll be crossing some forests which could be potential territories of children of nature. What if he- And I didn’t get to talk to miss Ladislava either. I don’t want her to be scared..”

“My child… I understand how you feel. But the forest is also home to potentially dangerous wildlife. Mayor Aegir had deemed it necessary for us to be protected on our journey, and your uncle has much experience in combat and traversing between wild territories after all…”, Ionus’ gaze dropped for a moment before looking up at his daughter firmly “I have made him a request to which he already agreed. To only scout the road for safety purposes and only fight in self-defense, not to actively hunt game. And only to wild animals. Should we encounter any were humans, we will negotiate with them in a civil matter. Children of nature can understand our shared language from the Goddess after all. There is no need to resort to violence. He had promised me that much”

“But…”

“And I asked him not to dress himself in any fur clothing to provoke needless hostility. We’re still a few moons away from winter after all. There’s no need to don garish scarfs and boots at the moment. He already agreed to this as well so there should be no problem, right?”

“... El?”, Ionus pushed on a bit after being met with silence from his daughter.

“... Okay… Thanks, Papa....”, the little girl finally answered. “And about miss Ladislava-”

The bell strikes 10 just as Edelgard spoke. Looking at the oaken owl clock Bernard made for El, the older man walked to the bed and smiled gently, light wrinkles forming at the corner of his pale grey eyes. Ionus carefully tugged the warm blanket to cover his little girl to the neck, pale, calloused fingers petting silky brown strands of hair on her forehead affectionately as he spoke.

“... It’s getting late and we need to get up early tomorrow. Papa has to get some other things ready for the trip now as well. Let’s talk about it on our trip, okay?”

“Umm…” the little girl could only mutter an agreement at the sight of her weary father. She didn’t want to deepen the creases on his eyes and temple any further. 

“Goodnight, Papa”

“Goodnight, El…”

* * *

Turbulent winds from the east of Adrestia arrived at the town of Remire that night, signaling the start of fall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been really busy with work and wanted to get this one out of the way so this chapter is a bit shorter than usual. But it serves as a good breather before all the stressful things that will come next so I suppose all is good. The timeskip is coming soon. Our characters will go through fairly significant changes and meet new people who will join in their journey, and perhaps reunited with old faces as well?
> 
> Until next time!


	5. Aflame

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Monsters in the guise of men, families torn apart and reunited

_A cool sensation from her shoulder and knee stirred Byleth awake. In front of her was the familiar girl in red tending to her wounds with gently a damp handkerchief. Her pale lilac gaze was caring as always, pink lips pouting in deep focus. There was no sign of disgust or annoyance on her face, just a hint of nagging helplessness, the kind that would be giving Byleth an earful after she’s done. The silky straight locks cascaded her petite face was that of chestnut brown that goes perfectly with her fair, smooth skin._

_In all sense of the world, the girl was almost like the complete opposite of Byleth. Prim and proper unlike the unruly wolf whose wild dark teal mane is always left unkempt, skin slightly tanned from her various outdoor hunts. Her dainty fingers were soft and smooth as opposed to Byleth’s rougher hands already marred by some small scars and soon to grow calluses. A pure-hearted, sheltered child of men and a hardened, stoic child of nature. The bond that such opposites had formed in such a short time, it was unheard of, practically unthinkable._

_“Byleth”_

_The soothing voice calling her name snapped Byleth out of her daze. The brunette’s eyes were now locked into Byleth’s pools of blue, her hands gently cupping the wolfing’s face. Their noses were just inches apart and the wolfing could practically feel the heat radiating from the smaller girl’s now rose-tinted cheeks. Words and thoughts vanished from Byleth’s mind as all her senses were captivated by the girl’s entrancing scent. Her scent was that of a magnificent garden of blooming carnations on the most picturesque spring day. It was enchanting yet never overwhelming, and Byleth couldn’t help herself but (gladly) get lost in every time._

_“You’re all healed up now… I’m so glad...”, her lips curved up in a weak smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes, as those lilac orbs were instead filled with melancholy._

_“Edelgard, I…”, the wolfing managed to choke out as the rest of her words struggled to leave her throat._

_“It’s time you return to your life with your beloved pack, with other children of nature”. Those warm hands left Byleth’s face as Edelgard’s silhouette began drifting away from her and into the misty horizon of the town of men._

_“Thank you for letting me tend to you these past few days... I-I’m so happy I met you, Byleth”_

_Byleth reached out her hand to hold Edelgard’s, only to grab onto nothingness as the silhouette’s hand dissolves into fine sprinkles of golden dust._

_“No. Edelgard, wait-”_

* * *

It was the beginning of twilight when Byleth violently awakened from her deep slumber, beads of sweat dampening her face and back as she struggled to recover her senses after having such a dream. The faint ache from her knee and shoulder snapped Byleth back to reality before the teen groggily pushed herself up and reached for the sachet of concoction Edelgard left for her. She silently applied the medicine to her aching joints with the clean handkerchief the human girl had thoughtfully prepared for her, occasionally grunting when the salve runs through a particularly pained spot. As she finished up, cornflower eyes gazed upon the woven sack left behind by Edelgard and the ashy mess the two of them left behind after dinner last night. Hand reaching out to grab at the bag, Byleth brought Edelgard’s bag to her face as she inhaled deeply - it still smelled like the girl in red that was just here with her yesterday.

It seemed that the extra dose of rocky burdock was a huge help because Byleth could feel her muscles warming up and slowly regaining their vitality just a few minutes later. She stood up with much greater ease than the past few days and tried walking then running around to test her .newly regained strength. Soon, the wolfing turned at the faint sound of moving cargo and footsteps of a sizeable group of people coming from the town at this early hour of the day. Edelgard mentioned that she was leaving at dawn, perhaps this was from her place.

 _Edelgard..._ Byleth recalled the vision she had last night of the girl’s silhouette. Even though it was just a dream, the girl she saw there was the same as the one Byleth had always known. Mesmerizing pale lilac eyes filled with warmth and care. Her soft pink lips curved in a kind smile. Silky straight chestnut brown locks hugged her petite face. Dainty fingers always so gentle and caring in her touch. 

_Perhaps... I should come to see her off one last time…_ Hand still holding onto the handkerchief tightly, Byleth scrambled away from her spot and began to walk towards the town of men. 

* * *

_Edelgard was startled by the vibration from the ornate necklace Byleth had gifted her. It began emitting a strange blue light before an ashen figure of a young wolf with dark teal mane appeared in front of her. The wolf’s eyes were gleaming an all too familiar cornflower blue, silently staring into Edelgard’s own. Somehow, this mysterious figure of a wolf was radiating a familiar warmth that imbued a sense of trust within the smaller girl._

_After sensing no fear from the human girl, the wolf lowered itself with its back pointing at Edelgard, as if to ask the human to come and sit on it. After a short moment of hesitation, the girl slowly climbed atop the wolf’s back, which was surprisingly sturdy despite looking seemingly like it was materialized out of the smoke, Once Edelgard had settled firmly on the creature’s back, it began to take off into the depths of what seemed like nothingness around her._

_Slowly, the silhouette of a deep red canyon shrouded in mist materialized around the two of them and it seemed that the wolf was taking her into its depths towards a mysterious spark of green. As the wolf closed in on the source of light, jade-colored wisps of light began to spread around the two of them, as if to pull the children towards its core and into the void._

_“El. El!”_

_A familiar voice - not Byleth’s - echoed in her ears as she was pulled towards the light, as if to pull her back out of it. Edelgard raised her arm to shield her eyes from blinding light. A strange yet not unwelcomed warmth began to envelop her whole body as she and the wolf disappeared into the canyon’s endless depths._

“El, time to wake up!”

* * *

The sun was just narrowly peaking out from the eastern horizon when Edelgard was shaken awake by a groggy Bernard in his disheveled pyjamas. Faint rays of the still sleepy morning sky peeked through the curtains of her window. The small girl whined softly as she pushed herself up, hand still holding on to her wool quilt. She didn’t have the best sleep last night due to the bizarre dream and it was difficult to get words out of her throat this early in the morning.

“El”

“Hmm?”

“... Where did you get that necklace?”

Edelgard’s eyes immediately widened at Bernard’s question. She had tried to hide the necklace the whole day yesterday but it seemed that her bad posture from last night had exposed the accessory from under her sleeping gown. A panic gasp came from Edelgard as she held the quilt closer to her chest to cover the exposed necklace, eyes struggling to avoid her older brother’s grey gaze.

“I- This. It’s from-”

“That… That’s the fur of a Nabatean wolf, isn’t it? That ashen shade. No other wolf breed has such a color”, Bernard’s eyes were fixated on the ornament as he spoke. “Uncle said never hunt were humans, and you’d never accept such a gift from him. He knows that… El?”

“It’s…. from a child of nature. I found her in the outskirts of our town after she was washed down the river stream”, the smaller girl finally muttered in defeat after a long silence, lilac orbs still avoiding to meet her brother’s own. “She was badly injured and I-I’ve been tending to her injuries for the past few days…”. 

Bernard was surprised by the revelation, grey eyes widened as he tried to take in all this information.

“She should already leave by now though… Her wounds are all healed up by today…”, sadness began clouding up Edelgard’s eyes as she clutched on the blanket covering her necklace tighter. Bernard’s eyes softened at this sight as he sighed quietly.

“And the necklace is from her?”

“Yes… She gave it to me before she left, to thank me for helping her…”

“El, look at me”, the gentle giant of a boy inched closer to Edelgard before asking her to meet his eyes, which Edelgard reluctantly did after some hesitation. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone. And I’m glad that you were able to help someone in a bad situation. Really”, Bernard assured his little sister as he gazed at her with a softened expression, which helped dispel all of Edelgard’s anxiety in an instant.

“We can talk more about this after the trip with father. It’s getting a bit late now so let’s get ready, ‘kay?”

Edelgard’s face lightened up in relief as she promptly got out of bed and began gathering her things for the trip.

“Um. Thanks, big brother!”

* * *

The town of men wasn’t too far off from where Byleth laid, only about half a mile away and obscured by tall trees and bushes. When Byleth arrived at the bushes behind the von Hresvelg’s backyard, two men were conversing next to a fairly stacked wagon. Both of them reminded the wolfing of Edelgard in some ways - the shorter man with his gentle mannerisms, crimson red coat, plus the scrolls and charcoal pieces in his hands; and the slender man with those unmistakable pale lilac eyes. Despite his physical similarity to the girl in red, however, the aura he gave off was completely different from the Edelgard she knew. Hers was warm and gentle while he was wintry and almost menacing. He was also definitely wielding some sharp weapons underneath his long coat, as there were faint crackling sounds of metal whenever he would make any movement. There were five other people dressed in raven black cloth wielding various melee and ranged weapons who reminded Byleth of the men she encountered on her hunting trip with Aloid and Caspar. They had a separate wagon with several wooden boxes and a large, long wrapped bag. As if on instinct, Byleth could feel the hair on her arm stand up in alert as she glared at the ominous man and people dressed in black, though she tried her best to hold back the growl that was threatening to spill out from her throat. Right now, she was badly outnumbered and yet to fully recover. Such risks can’t be taken.

The creaking sound diverted Byleth’s attention to the front door that was being opened. Emerging from the house was a bear of a teenage boy with the same shade of brown hair as the menacing man and grey eyes who was carrying two woven bags - who must be her big brother Bernard, followed by Edelgard herself, donning her familiar red coat as always. Her lilac eyes were downcasted and lacked the cheerful light Byleth would always see, however, and she was clutching the familiar sketchbook to her chest tightly. It seemed that she wasn’t really a willing participant of this so-called “trip”, and Byleth had an inkling that the girl was also trying to hide her necklace.

“Good morning, kids. You’re all ready for our trip?” greeted the man in the long coat. “The weather could get a bit cloudy today. Hopefully there won’t be heavy rain”, he sighed quietly as he cast his gaze up to the sky.

“Good morning, Father, Uncle. We’ve got everything all set”, replied Bernard as he eyed each of the men in order and loaded the siblings’ bags on the cart with a thud. 

_So the man with grey eyes is her dad and the fishy looking man is her uncle_ , thought Byleth. _She never mentioned this “uncle” to me before though..._

El nodded to the older men quietly before climbing onto the wagon with her half-finished sketch and charcoal piece in hand. She settled down on a spot next to the window and pulled open the curtains to look outside.

“Is she okay?”, asked Thales as he eyed the barely opened windows of the wagon on his jet-black stallion.

“El is… fine. She’s probably just tired from spending much of yesterday outside. You know the kid”, Ionus calmly spoke as he climbed on his white horse. “Shall we take off, Thales?”

Byleth’s eyes widened as she stifled a gasp. _Thales._ She remembered the name being spoken by one of the hunters in black at the river as he tried to drag her away. Judging by the way he dressed and how he was leading ahead, this Thales must be their boss. And somehow even when the man was around his “family”, there was a wicked aura emitting from his dull lilac eyes, especially whenever he looked at Edelgard’s father and herself. All the confusion and anger of Edelgard hiding such a fact about herself vanished from Byleth’s mind as she steeled her emotions and focus on one thing, one person only: _Edelgard._

Horse after horse neighed aloud as the group of people began moving north towards the mountains, followed by a silent ashen silhouette.

* * *

Most of the day trip was drearily quiet with only the sounds of moving cargo and horse hooves on the road. All horse riders kept their focus on the road ahead, only seldomly speaking to each other about the terrain and weather forecast. Bernard and Ionus took turns riding and coming to sit in the wagon with Edelgard. Sometimes, the brunette would stick her head outside to take in the fresh air of nature, eyes immersed in the wonderful scenery around her before sparks of inspiration found their way to her eyes and prompted her to retreat inside, probably to sketch out more of the road. Byleth kept a reasonable distance with the group that wouldn’t make her lose track and at the same time, keep her presence unnoticeable. It felt like a drawn-out ambush hunt where she kept sneaking after the prey but never pouncing on it. 

The group finally settled down to rest when the sun was beginning to set west. Thales ordered his men to go hunt for some food while the family settle all their things and build a makeshift tent. Edelgard was finally out in the open, quietly helping her family but remained silent throughout. Byleth kept a safe distance, waiting for Edelgard to be left alone to hopefully approach and warn her about Thales. Her chance came when Edelgard finally settled down on a dull rock after having finished setting up the tent. An inconspicuous dark brown string poked out from the hem of her scarf from the back, it seemed that she was indeed still wearing the necklace. This made Byleth somewhat happy. The wolfling was about to make her move before she was stopped dead in her tracks by the husky voice of the familiar menacing figure.

“Hey, El… Mind if I sit with you for a bit?”

Thales asked with an uncharacteristically soft voice. Edelgard clutched tighter onto the red scarf covering much of her torso, her body all shriveled up. She looked incredibly small and vulnerable like this which sent a pang of hurt to Byleth’s stomach. 

_She doesn’t want to talk to you, bastard. She’s making it clear with her body language. Bug off._ Byleth was trying hard to hold back the growl in her throat, her claws on the verge of sheathing. The wolf teen soundlessly inched a bit closer to listen to their conversation, her whole body on high alert mode with the ominous man being so close to the brunette.

After a brief awkward silence, the small girl nodded weakly, face hiding behind her wool scarf as she held her knees in a fetal position. Thales wordlessly settled down on the ground just next to her and kept quiet for a while before finally raising his voice to speak.

“... El, are you still upset about yesterday?”

Edelgard didn’t respond, hands clutching tighter onto her scarf.

“Are you upset about what happened at the bakery?”

After a long silence, the little girl finally spoke up.

“... I’m worried about Miss Ladislava. I don’t want her to get the wrong idea about me… About my family… I don’t want her to have to live in fear”

“I’m sorry, El. It was my fault. If I had known, I wouldn’t have shown my face around her…”

“None of us knew…”, Edelgard muttered weakly, eyes finally grazing Thales’ face. She was never fond of having heavy conversations, as well as seeing any of her closed ones uncomfortable. Despite the differences between the von Hresvelgs and Thales, she still wished not to see her uncle so dejected. “I-It can’t be helped...”

“But I want you to know that I would never harm her, or initiate any violence against children of nature… without cause”. Byleth’s claws twitched at these words, cornflower eyes darkening and squinting in anger.

“W-What do you mean?”

“El, I might be a hunter but I’m a man of integrity. I don’t cause harm to children of the Goddess without cause. Just like what happened with my Cornelia.”

Edelgard’s attention was now fully on Thales as she stared at him with inquisitive lilac orbs. 

“Ah I never really told you, didn’t I? The man who was with Cornelia when I met her, the man who tormented my Cornelia verbally and physically for her innate inability to bear him a child - that man was a were human. Children of men or children of nature… Both are capable of becoming monsters in the guise of humans.”

Edelgard could only suck in a breath in response as Thales spoke in an indignant tone. The little girl instinctively tightened her clutch on her knees, making her body even smaller than usual. Byleth’s heart ached to look at her small, shivering back. There must be a million conflicting things running through her head right now. 

A rumbling sound echoed through the camp as Byleth’s stomach growled of hunger. Panic flocked her cornflowers eyes as the wolfing stifled her own breath in fear of being discovered. Luckily for her, Edelgard placed her hand on her own stomach that was rumbling at the same time, which prompted a light chuckle from Thales.

“Ah, you must be starving, El. Just wait a bit more and my men will be back with something for us to eat. For now, let’s set up the fire beforehand”. The two of them stood and began walking towards Ionus and Bernard who had gathered some rocks and dry tree branches. 

_Right. Don’t think I’ve eaten anything since morning._ Knowing it was unwise to leave her body unnourished, Byleth ventured around one mile away from the camp to look for edible fruits. Hunting game or even fishing would inevitably cause too much noise which was unwise around a group of hunters, so she had to settle for a meatless dinner. After a few minutes, her arms were filled with Albinean berries Morfis plums as she gobbled them down at a brisk pace. Hushed whispers coming from an inconspicuous bush caught her attention and the wolfling slowly crept towards the source of the ruckus.

* * *

The five Agarthans who were escorting Thales and the von Hresvelgs were carrying that long bag with them along with a suspicious-looking sack that was making crackling sounds of glass. Byleth squinted to observe closely and was horrified to see that whatever inside the bag seemed to be sentient - as it was moving and making low grunting sounds. One Argathan kicked the side of the bag as he spat angrily.

“Argh shut yer trap already! For a mutt who’s spent most of her life masquerading as a human, this one is resilient. Took three damn dosages to knock her cold for the whole day. Sill got her wild instincts intact after all this time, it seems”

“You sure this will work?”, another man pulled out a large syringe from the sack that was glistening with a vile green liquid.

“Should work. It’s from that wacko inventor after all. Heard that it was from his time in the capital. Some officials tasked him with making this to use on the Imperial soldiers but he bailed once he discovered it was intended to be used on these were humans. Luckily the old freak still kept it in his studies so our boss could get his hands on it. Now hurry”, a woman snickered as she spoke, topaz eyes gleaming with a wicked light.

The two remaining men began opening up the long bag which revealed a woman with disheveled olive hair and dazed but alerted coral eyes. Her mouth was tightly covered by a thick cloth and coarse ropes were binding her wrists and ankles. Atop her head were pointy wolf ears bearing a similar shade of olive green as her hair. Coral irises darkened into crimson red, her pupils contracted into all too familiar thin slits as the man brought the dark red syringe closer, a nasty grin flashing on his face. 

“Now let’s get you all riled up, shall we?”, the two men kept hold of the woman’s head, arms, and legs to prevent her from thrashing around. 

_I can’t take on five hunters and protect a bound hostage on my own!._ An aching throb ran through Byleth’s knee and shoulder as she stirred to jump in. The defeated wolfling could only watch in horror as the syringe was injected into the were human’s throat. The poor woman could only muffle anguished cries as the vile substance spread through her veins, unable to fight off the hunters and binds on her body that was already weakened by the anesthetic. After a while, her body gave in as the cries and thrashing came to a stop, her body now immobile. Byleth’s knuckles had turned white from how hard her fists were being clenched. 

“H-Hey… Yer sure this works? She’s dead or something?”, a fretful man asked.

One of the men turned her limbs around with his feet to check for signs of life. “It’s supposed to work. Wasn’t a failed prototype or anything-”. Before he could finish his sentence, a furry hand grabbed onto his leg as sharp claws dug into clothed skin and drew blood as the now horrified man was screaming in pain. Her sharp fangs were now on full display, a slick strand of saliva trailing down her lips and dropping off her chin while coral irises were now blood red, her pupils constantly alternating from its dilated and contracted states. With a frightening snap, the were human broke the man’s leg and pinned him to the ground before clawing at his arms and legs over and over again. Whatever they have injected into her veins, it had forced her transformation and was messing with her mental state. The other four hunters began drawing their weapons as the olive haired woman was now half transformed into her werewolf form and glaring at them with deadly red eyes, her limbs growing coarse fur that was tainted with her first victim’s blood.

“W-What was that?”

Byleth snapped her head towards the direction of the camp as she heard the far-off voice of a startled Edelgard. When she turned back to the woman and the group of hunters, that was all it took for her to have the other two limping on the ground in nasty pools of blood as she pounced and tore at the man who injected the syringe into her.

“Tch. Now get over here, mutt”

The woman managed to get away amidst the chaos and began running in the direction of the camp. The crazed were human finally let go of her captor before bolting after the female hunter. 

_Edelgard!_

With all the strength she can muster, Byleth dashed after the two women, her mind focusing on one thing only: _I must protect Edelgard._

* * *

“That cry! That was no ordinary wild animal cry… Could it be-!?”, Thales unsheathed his sword as he stared into the closet bush where the rustling, panting, and growling sounds of a chase approached closer and closer.

“Boss!”, a terrified woman emerged from the bushes holding a cracked longbow, falling at Thales’ feet as she shivered in fear. 

“Fiona!”

“We-We’re under attack by a were human! It claims to be after the von Hresvelgs”

“Wha-”

An animalistic cry shook the camp as a flash of red shot out from the bushes. A bloodied olive-haired woman with crazed crimson red eyes growled at the group of humans in her half-transformed state. Her claws were stained with fresh blood and the corner of her mouth was dripping thick saliva mixed with blood. She was entirely focused on Thales, red eyes teeming with vile hatred as she twitched her claws.

Byleth finally caught up to the site of the commotion, her body now throbbing in pain from the over-exertion of her chase. Knowing it was unwise to jump in with her current state, the wolfing hid behind a nearby shrub as she struggled to regain her breath, peaking out of the bush to observe the situation at hand.

“M-Miss Ladislava..?”

Byleth and the woman shot their heads in the direction of a frightened little girl’s voice. As soon as the were human gazed upon the small trembling figure with chestnut hair and pale lilac eyes, her red eyes began losing their deadly aura as she struggled to speak amidst the rumbling growls from her throat. 

  
“E-Edelgard!?”

The were human seemed to recognize the little girl in front of her and was hesitating to make any move on the group of humans. Before any more words could be exchanged between the two of them, the little girl collapsed on the ground with a thud as all consciousness left her body.

“Edelgard!”, Bernard screamed in panic at the sight of his motionless little sister.

“Tch. Always letting your emotions get in the way. That’s why you can’t expect anything from weaklings”. Thales spoke with disdain as he loomed over Edelgard’s cold body with a bloodied rock in his hands. A pained roar shook the camp as a glistening arrow pierced through the confused Ladislava’s thigh, bringing her down on her knees as the were human began coughing blood profusely.

“Foolish mutt. Still trying to act all noble even in the face of death. It’s a good thing we mixed in some poison into the dosage we gave you”, snickered the woman in black named Fiona as she shifted her steadily held longbow between the now limping Ladislava and the von Hresvelg father and son, wordlessly issuing a threat should they dare to make any movement in opposition.

“Thales! What is the meaning of this?”

Ionus hissed at the slender man who was now putting on a large, sharp gauntlet with indifference in his dull lilac eyes. The hidden wofling shuddered as she eyed Thales’s arm - the weapon was shining the same ominous gleam as the deadly weapons those men in black used on Byleth on the mountain. A burst of chilling laughter broke out from the armed man before he glared into Ionus’ eyes with lilac irises filled with hatred.

“Ionus, you stuck-up, good-for-nothing fool. You dared to turn down my offer. With my hunting clan and your talent as a cartographer, we can make a fortune with our fur trading business. How are you going to provide your family if all you do is making study materials for schools, which only a few can afford to attend after this devastating war?”

Thales turned to Bernard as he sneered angrily. “Even your children have been having smaller meals in the past few months due to how shaky your source of income has become! Even when Anselma was alive you insisted on turning down all offers from Enbarr officials. Did you even know how much more well-off she was if she had stayed in the capital instead of following you? I should have done everything to stop her from being with a fool like you!”

Ionus balled his fists tightly as he grumbled a response, moving forward to shield Bernard away from the crazed man in front of them.

“I’d rather die than profiteering off the flesh and bones of other children of the Goddess. Anselma and I always vowed to use our Goddess-given gifts to better the lives of Adrestian citizens and children. This is why we work for schools and shelters, not politicians and huntsmen. If we don’t join hands to build a better future for our people from scratch, how will our lives ever be improved? Thales, I beg you. Stop this madness this instance! We’re your family!”

“You’d rather die, huh? Well, I’ll be more than glad to grant you your wish! And your precious little daughter…”, Thales crackled manically before continuing “She will live the rest of her life seeing these very same children of nature you protect so much as enemies and will be using the gifts she inherited from you to serve _me_ instead!”

“What do you mean- Gahh!”

Before he could finish his sentence, Ionus’ chest was gashed with the deadly claws of Thales’ gauntlet. Blood splattered from his body as the older man stumbled backward, falling onto his petrified son’s body.

“Father! Uncle how could you-”

The tearful boy, who was still holding his mangled father’s body, dropped to his knees as his uncle swiped at his torso with the bloodied gauntlet. Thales continued his savage assault on the father and son as he ripped at their face, chest, and limbs as the trembling Byleth could only watch in horror.

“No! Stop this!”

A deafening roar broke out as the injured Ladislava - as if powered by an inhuman burst of strength - charged at Thales and made a deep gash on his right cheek, barely missing his eye. A panicked Fiona shot three arrows at her back that pierced through her heart, putting an end to the already weakened were human who finally dropped down to the ground. The corner of Thales’ lips curved up in a crooked smile as he smirked down at the motionless woman.

“Hah. This injury will make the story even more convincing. This mutt did well enough”

“Thales! You monster! Your soul will rot in hell when it’s time for the Goddess to pass you her divine judgment”, a blood-soaked Ionus held his lifeless son in his arms as he spat furiously at the two Agarthans before Thales kicked him down, gauntlet raised high as he smiled down at his dying brother.

“Then let her whole damned world rot along with me”

The chilling gleam of the gauntlet flashed one last time before Ionus was rendered immobile completely, the stench of freshly spilled blood permeating throughout the entire camp.

* * *

Byleth was reduced to a shivering, panting mess at the sickening slaughter that just took place in front of her eyes, her whole body covered in a cold sweat as she clutched tightly onto her shoulder and knee that wouldn’t stop burning in pain. She was _afraid,_ so afraid that she was completely _petrified._

“Hnnng… Father… Big brother… Uncle…”

Beads of sweat broke out on the knocked out Edelgard’s forehead as she was slowly stirring awake, small fists turning white from how hard they had been clenching. A pleased Thales smirked wickedly as he turned to his trembling niece.

“Heh… About time for you to wake up now... my Little Red”

The bloodied gauntlet was tossed at Byleth's feet as the wolfing realized that Thales was getting rid of his murder weapon. The wolfing held onto the discarded arm as she studied its design. The claws on the weapon was modeled after the claws of wild animals, slightly smaller than those of actual Oghma wolves. This monster of a man - he wanted to kill the von Hresvelgs in the manner of a wild animal and blamed their deaths on the were human woman.

_No! Don’t touch her you monster!_

A burning flame broke out in Byleth’s guts as she scrambled to get up, steadying herself to charge in and take the human girl away from the vile monster she thought was her family. Before she could emerge from the bushes, a strong arm held her back by the torso as a familiar gruff voice breathed into her ears, dragging her backward and away from the camp.

“Byleth. Don’t.”

“Dad?”, Byleth's eyes widened at the familiar sight of coarse brown hair tied in a small braid and earthy brown eyes.

“Finally.. found you... kid”, Jeralt spoke between heavy breaths as he held onto his daughter tightly, one hand around her torso and the other mindlessly rubbing at the hair on her head. The desperation in his voice and movements caused a pang of guilt to hit her heart. His current state reminded Byleth of a time when she was injured when she fell off a hill as a child. 

A piercing cry Byleth’s head back at the direction of the camp where she could hear the heart-wrenching voice of a confused and broken Edelgard sobbing and slamming her fists on the ground in anguish.

_“Miss Ladislava… slaughtered Papa and big brother… and almost killed uncle? How could this be?”, the little girl’s voice was shaking and tearful between ragged breaths._

_“W-Why? Why is this happening? Whyyyy???”_

_Footsteps of over dozens of men stopped at the sight of the camp. A rugged yet horrified voice spoke up._

_“This is the Remire-Varley forest patrol. What happened here, sir? Is this child safe?”_

_“We were camping here for the night on our trip to Varley. This were human, whose identity was recently exposed… followed us and slaughter most of our group. I could barely manage to protect my niece and underling tonight. What’s happened here… is unforgivable!”_

“Dad, let me go! I-I gotta save her!”, Byleth cried out as she struggled to break free from her father’s tightening hold. 

“No. We gotta get you back”, grumbled Jeralt. “It’s not safe here, kid. There are a bunch of armed men around here. The pack is resting at a nearby cave. We gotta move fast before they catch onto us”

“Noooo!”, road Byleth as she clutched onto her father’s arm hard enough to draw blood. “She saved my life! I gotta protect her from these monsters. They want to turn her into a monster like them too!”. A searing pain burned through her body as it began transforming, ashen fur grazing her bruised limbs as sharp claws dug deeper into Jeralt’s unwavering arm hold. Blood began to seep out from her shoulder and knee, her wounds threatening to reopen at the sheer force and intensity of her transformation. Byleth could hear the panicked gasps of the men at the camp. A sharp “get to position” rally echoed through the forest as the metallic sound of numerous weapons being raised in unison, ready to mercilessly cut down any fool dared make their attack.

“No. Never again.”

Jeralt’s choked voice shook the thrashing Byleth to the core as he tightened his grip on her and whispered weakly, his voice like he was on the verge of tears.

“Not after Sitri… No… I can’t lose you too, kid… Please… Just come back with us...”

The roaring flame inside her guts was extinguished at once at those helpless cries from her father before she gave in finally, eyes steeled into dull, lifeless cobalt as her transformation reserved itself. She laid completely motionless in her father’s arms as two thin streams of tears ran down her face, her fangs gritted so tightly blood began spilling down her lips. The pained Jeralt could only sigh in relief as he hurried his steps to take his daughter back to the cave, their silhouette eventually vanishing into the depths of the forest. The screaming and weeping sounds of Edelgard grew smaller and smaller in Byleth’s ears until they disappeared completely, taking away all the light left in Byleth’s barren blue orbs.

* * *

Back in Remire village, a piercing wolf cry broke through the night as a bloody tragedy befell the von Vestra household.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry (late-ish) Christmas, everyone! Here's some long-awaited angst. You're welcome.
> 
> Truth to be told, the more I'm writing this story the more I'm feeling the limitations of my writing, on top of real-life stuff that dwindles my focus and motivation, which is most likely why this chapter took so long to get out. Don't worry though, I'm pretty confident that I'm not really all worn out from this story yet so updates will still go on in the near future. They'll just be slower than the pace at the beginning, I can tell you that.
> 
> Anyways, the next chapter will be about Edelgard and Byleth's lives when they're apart during the timeskip and other Eagle kids will be involved as well. Happy holidays and until next time, everyone!


	6. Two Hearts, Two Worlds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are back to the natural order and changes of the heart as time passes

“Luckily the injury isn’t fatal. It merely knocked you unconscious and will only leave a slight scar after it’s fully healed”

Cornelia’s mint green eyes squinted as she applied herbal elixir on the swollen red spot near the back of Edelgard’s ear as she spoke, her pointy red nails lightly grazing the back of the little girl’s neck. The brunette child had been unsettlingly quiet ever since she returned from the turbulent trip to Varley. Over merely a few days, the once precocious yet free-spirited and confident little girl was now disconcertingly downcasted and spiritless, barely saying a word even when she was being asked by any adults, skipping all meals even when they were brought to her room, only allowing Cornelia to come in and silently treat her wound once a day. Today was another quiet session between her and the rose-haired woman, and the serving of rabbit meat was left untouched on the little girl’s desk once again. Once she had finished treating Edelgard’s wound, the older woman took a glance at the cold meal before quietly leaving with her basket of medicine.

When she was sure Cornelia had left her alone entirely, Edelgard stared blankly at her empty room before lifting her pillow to bring out the indicolite necklace gifted to her by the wolfling Byleth. After the first day, Cornelia came to tend her neck wound which forced Edelgard to hide her necklace, she had not been wearing it for a few days as it would always arouse intense feelings of anguish and confusion within her. Pale lilac orbs bore into the glimmering stone that shone back a familiar tint of blue at her and Edelgard’s heart swelled with a peculiar emotion once again as delicate fingers brushed against fur and gemstone. She promised to never forget Byleth, so no matter what, Edelgard felt compelled to have the necklace on her. After all, it wasn’t Byleth who committed such a monstrous act, it was the other were humans. Eventually, Edelgard breathed out a deep sight and put the necklace on, tugged away beneath her clothes before she walked out of her room silently downstairs.

At the end of the staircase, the brunette was greeted by a solemn Hubert. The scrawny boy had always been one with a constant broody face, but now it was a different, more dreadful kind of somber. The dark circles beneath his eyes had grown significantly larger and his sharp face now bordered on being outright haggard. 

“Good morning, Edelgard”

“Good morning, Hubert… Did you sleep well last night? I hope our bed was comfortable enough for you...”

“It’s... never easy for me to fall asleep, even back in my own bed. But it’s better now that we’re with you and not in our empty place”

Since yesterday, Hubert and Kronya had moved into the von Hresvelg house and all three children had been taken under the custody of Thales von Arundel, the only living family member of Sir Ionus von Hresvelg’s legally wedded wife, Madam Anselma von Arundel, and Thales’ lady, Cornelia Arnim. In a matter of a day after the discovery of a were human - Ladislava - secretly dwelling in the town of Remire, tragedy had fallen on both the households of the brightest men in the town. The widowed Sir Ionus, who was a renowned cartographer of Adrestia, and his son Bernard fell at the hands of said were human during their trip to the closeby territory of Varley. His brother-in-law Thales, along with his men, only managed to protect the life of Edelgard, the youngest child and now, the last living von Hresvelg. 

Meanwhile, the esteemed inventor Sir Marquis von Vestra was murdered in cold blood by a night ambush from a were human suspected to be an accomplice of Ladislava due to their similar eye color. The rest of Thales’ men, who were ordered to be stationed at Remire during their chief’s trip, managed to protect the lives of Sir Marquis’ two children, Hubert and Kronya. It was believed that the perpetrator was aware of the inventor’s current project, a new form of material that was able to create stronger weaponry that could fight against even the physiologically superior children of nature - as the previous devastating Adrestian war against the Brigid/Dagda alliance saw direct combat against a sizeable number of Brigidian and Dagdan were humans. Sir Marquis was developing this substance alongside his prodigal son, and it was believed that Hubert would have also been felled by the dastard were human had it not been for the protection of Thales’ men. 

These were the final established facts after an investigation was carried out by Mayor Ludwig von Aegir along with the Enbarr officials who contracted Sir Marquis for this. Within the next few days, Mayor Aegir issued a new decree for the town Due to its geographic location and the fact that there were now only two children who could carry on the works and legacies of their great late fathers, Remire was to be put under the protection of Thales’ Agarthans hunting group. The Agarthan chief himself had agreed to this decision as he felt it was his life obligation to protect the town where his late sister lived, to protect her only living child, and to provide the remote town with a capable medic that it had always been sorely lacking in Cornelia. And thus, the Agarthans would no longer be a nomadic hunter clan as they were now officially stationed in Remire and serve as the town’s guardians. 

So much had happened in only a few days that Edelgard didn’t even know how to react to it all, everything kept on jumbling inside her head. As the tallboy and petite girl silently looked at each other, the front door clicked open to give way to tousled ginger locks and determined fire brown eyes. Ever since their father was killed, Kronya became much quieter than before and there was always a strange fiery look in the eyes. In the past few days she had also been spending more time around Thales and his men, the two other children noticed, and Edelgard would sometimes hear strange mumbling and giggling sounds when she walked past the room Kronya occupied at night. The ginger sucked in a breath before locking her burning gaze onto the other two children as she spoke with indignance.

“I’ve decided to join the Agarthans”

“What-”, gasped Edelgard.

“Kronya…”, muttered Hubert as he weakly gazed into his sister’s fire brown eyes that seemed to be alight in flames.

“I must protect you and Edie. I must… avenge daddy”

“But- This is too much....”, mumbled the brunette as she stared at the angry Kronya with shaky lilac orbs.

“They _killed_ your father and brother, Edie! Those hands that used to bake the sweets you love eating so much _ripped and tore_ the flesh and bones of Sir Ionus and Bernard! Children of nature? They’re merely mindless, murderous beasts!”, spat the girl with orange hair. “If the Agarthans weren’t there… If Thales weren’t there… I would have lost both you and my little brother…”, hot tears began running down the sides of her pale cheeks. 

“Kronya… Please…”, Hubert was now wearing a hurt expression on his face, his boney fingers gently holding Kronya’s shoulder to provide his agonized sister comfort. His voice was sorrowful and vulnerable, nothing like the normally detached and sardonic Hubert that Edelgard always knew. His other hand was balled tightly into a fist, and Edelgard could notice that he was slightly trembling. The sight of a bitter, angry Kronya and a sad, vulnerable Hubert made uncomfortable feelings swell up inside the pained Edelgard. She pulled the weeping Kronya into an embrace as she sobbed silently and Hubert could only put his other hand on his friend’s shoulder and place his head on top of Kronya to comfort his sister as muffled cries echoed throughout the corridors of the empty von Hresvelg estate.

* * *

When Edelgard arrived at the cemetery, a young boy with well-combed ginger hair had just placed a bouquet of pink carnations atop the graves of her family. As his apricot-colored eyes met hers, the boy offered her a slight bow of the head before he spoke.

“I am sincerely sorry for your loss, Edelgard. Your father, Sir Ionus, was a man I deeply respect. And your brother Bernard was a kind-hearted young man. My thoughts are with you.”

The petite girl nodded lightly at the boy’s words of condolences.

“Thank you... Um…”

“Ferdinand von Aegir. Son of Mayor Ludwig von Aegir. Following the footsteps of my father, I vow to always help protect our village from danger. That is my promise to you, Edelgard, and to all the people of Remire.”, the boy gave another slight bow as he placed his right hand atop his heart. “Now let me bother you no more. I shall take my leave and keep your family in my thoughts and prayers”

Giving her one last weak smile, Ferdinand quickly left the girl alone with her thoughts as she approached the burial site. A chilly breeze clawed at Edelgard’s skin as she stood in front of a tombstone with the name “Sir Ionus von Hresvelg'' carved on it. It was newly erected on the left of an older, dulled tombstone with the name “Madam Anselma von Hresvelg (neé von Arundel)”. On the right of Anselma’s tombstone stood a smaller one with the name “Bernard von Hresvelg”, as the boy insisted ever since his mother remarried to the famed cartographer instead of his birth father’s family name. Not far away from the von Hresvelgs’ site of bury was a freshly built one for Sir Marquis von Vestra. The von Hresvelg and von Vestra tombstones were encircled in flowers from the mournful people of Remire. 

On the other hand, the bodies of Ladislava and her alleged accomplice were burned on the stake and their ashes discarded into the woods as demanded by the outraged townspeople. This public-proclaimed “just punishment” did nothing to quell the flames of anguish inside Edelgard, however. The little girl would wake up in the middle of the night screaming and drenched in sweat from the same terrifying dream retelling the events of that fateful night. Of the bloodied lifeless bodies of her father and brother on the ground, of the haunting look in the feral Ladislava’s eyes, a look of fury, fear, and… pain. So much pain. Edelgard was, of course, enraged by the murder of her family at the hands of a woman she knew and interacted with so often in her life, but she couldn’t deny that Ladislava’s look of pain kept haunting her mind. Trembling fingers clutched onto the snow-white garb where Byleth’s neck was hidden. That unbearable feeling had stirred up inside Edelgard’s chest once again and it was keeping Edelgard in such a painful haze that she failed to notice footsteps approaching her.

“El…”

A familiar raspy voice broke the silence as the slender man with umbra hair placed his bandaged hand on the little girl’s shoulder. Edelgard turned around to meet with the jaded lilac eyes of her uncle that was much like her own. His arm on her shoulder, which was dealt a large gash by Ladislava when he protected her, was thoroughly wrapped up in layers of thin white cloth. Edelgard remembered wincing at the sight of his bloodied arm when she saw Cornelia treating his wound, as it brought up her memories of tending to Byleth’s deep wound. A tempest of anguish and guilt raged inside her as Edelgard was reminded of her uncle’s words to her that night before the assault. 

_Children of men or children of nature… Both are capable of becoming monsters in the guise of humans._

“Uncle…”

“I’m so sorry I couldn’t protect everyone. It was all my fault. I-I should’ve scouted our surroundings more carefully that night…”

“Uncle, don’t say that! We were all exhausted from the day-long trip… You did everything you could, and so many of your men were also…”, her voice dissolved into a mere whisper at the end as she trailed her gaze to the nearby tombstones that were newly erected for the Agarthan men who lost their lives during the trip.

“You’re the only family I have left, El. And I will protect my family no matter what. That is why I agreed to the Mayor’s request for my men to guard Remire. So that I can atone for my failure to protect Ionus and Bernard. I believe it’s what Anselma would want me to do as well…”, Thales smiled weakly as he clutched his hand on her shoulder, and the petite girl could feel her uncle shaking slightly as he spoke. At the sight of a grieving Thales, Edelgard could no longer put up any walls against her last living family member. No matter what the difference between them was before, no matter how intolerable she found her uncle to be previously, he was the closest person she had as a parent now, and he almost lost his life to save her as well. Swallowing down the last of her bitter feelings towards Thales, Edelgard finally turned towards her uncle and placed her own hands on his to give a weak squeeze.

“Uncle… Thank you… for protecting me. For saving my life”

“We’re family. It’s what family do”, the slender man smiled weakly at his niece as he continued. “I know this is a horrible, horrible thing for anyone to go through, let alone a child. But please don’t lose heart, El. Don’t let this consume you and stop you from living your life and growing to your best potential. You’ve inherited much of the genius from your father and mother, and also the same kind heart as that of your brother. Let’s use our gifts that the Goddess gave us to protect Remire.”

“What do you mean, uncle?”

“I’m sure Kronya already told you. She’s joining the Agarthans, using her Goddess-given strength to protect Remire. Hubert will also continue with the project he and his father were working on to build something that can keep us safe. I hope that… you too will consider using your gifts as the prodigy daughter of Ionus the great cartographer to help us protect Remire and all children of men, El.”

“We’re not… hunting down children of nature because of this, right…?”

Lilac eyes met as Thales reassured his niece with both hands on her shoulder now. “Of course not, my dear. We’re merely defending ourselves from monsters in the guise of men. However, our town also has merchants that need to travel through forests and mountains, so we need a better understanding of travel routes and what’s around us as well. And no one is more suitable for this than you, El”. 

After a long silence, the man decided to leave Edelgard to her thoughts as he retreated his hands from her shoulder and slowly walked away.

“El, please.... think about it. Okay?”

When she was sure that Thales was completely away from the cemetery, Edelgard pulled out the necklace from underneath her garb, tracing her fingers on the gemstone and fur. As long as she causes no harm to children of nature, it was only natural for her to protect her fellow children of men. Like Thales said, anyone is capable of becoming monsters, and it is only right to eliminate monsters who lurk in the guise of men. As long as she remembers benevolent children of nature like Byleth, her mind would never be clouded by hatred. Right?

....

After Edelgard left the cemetery, a lanky shadow emerged from the shadows and approached the newly erected tombstones.

* * *

It has been three days since Jeralt found Byleth and the pack returned to their den in the depths of the Oghma mountain. Byleth had yet to utter a single word since her return and would always be found in the training yard with Petra, Leonie, and Caspar, who had also remarked that she had been much more aggressive than before - like she was taking out her frustration on them. 

Today was another one of those days, much to no one’s surprise. Since it was Alois and Jeralt’s turn to hunt for food, Caspar was assigned to Petra and Byleth to Leonie. On the training site, Caspar was, with immense enthusiasm as always, punching at a calm and focused Petra. The boy with bright blue hair was shouting out loud every time he raised his fists, clearly telegraphing his movements like always. Meanwhile, his diligent partner was effortlessly blocking all incoming attacks with swift movements of her arms protected by sparring guards. 

Meanwhile, an indifferent Linhardt was minding his own business underneath the shades, surrounded by various herbs, roots, the gauntlet Byleth brought back recently, and that sickle from her encounter with the hunters in black, the blood on which was now already dried and turned into a dark crimson. Despite being a child of the wild, the lanky boy was never fond of blood and violence, but he had forced himself to take up the study of this peculiar and dangerous new form of weapon crafted by the children of men. The boy would often get berated by Leonie and Caspar, the two hot-headed kids of the pack, for not doing his part as a protective older brother, but the green-haired boy simply stated that he was protecting everyone in his own way with his as well. Linhardt was an orphan wolf adopted by Caspar’s pack as a child, and the two boys had been inseparable since. He was always chastised for being “a coward” while Caspar was often looked down upon for his small stature, as the pack, albeit small in number, was heavily dominated by large, aggressive wolves always looking to get into fights with other were humans. One day, the two boys were left behind as they went out to fight another pack of Brigid brown wolves over a territorial dispute since they were residing near the northwestern border. Refusing to give up even after suffering from heavy injury, the whole pack was killed in the dispute, leaving the two boys behind to be found by Jeralt during one of his hunting trips around the border. This great loss served to motivate Caspar to train every day and become strong enough to defend himself and protect everyone he holds dear.

Nearby, the petite Bernadetta was almost entirely surrounded by bushes as she worked on a stuffed rag doll with short, coarse pieces of bright blue cloth as hair. The violet mophead was sewing a doll for Caspar, the last of the pack who hadn’t had his own “Bernie-made” dolly yet since it was taking her a while to dye the cloth after his “weird hair color”. Whenever Bernadetta was made to go out and scout for food, she would spend most of the time gathering whatever scraps and materials from the camps left behind by traveling humans, before picking fruits and other edibles for the scout. Therefore, all of her crafts were made following no established embroidery style guidelines in mind, giving each of them an odd yet endearing look at the same time. Much like Linhardt, the petite wolfing was also afraid of violence and rarely took part in training, much to the dismay of Jeralt and the rest. Though none had ever reacted as heartlessly as her birth family, who abandoned her after forcefully training her and failing to change her into a more “becoming” wolf. Many have remarked that perhaps Bernadetta and Linhardt weren’t “real wolves” because of their “human-like” hobbies, their preference to stay in humanoid form to carry out such pastime activities instead of partaking in hunting, and their aversion to blood and violence, things that were unavoidable in the lives of children of the wild.

“Yaaah! Take this! And this! And this!” 

“Caspar. In a real battle, you should not be shouting before attacking. It is helping your enemy know your movement before it is hitting them”, the wolfling with tawny skin squinted her eyes as she blocked a series of particularly powerful blows. “Often, it is much better to be catching the prey by surprise”, she advised.

Petra was a wandering orphaned Brigid brown wolf that was adopted by Jeralt after her parents, who were forcefully conscripted into the army, gave their lives in the Brigid-Dagda war against Adrestia. Petra held great distaste for meaningless wars so she held no grudge against the Adrestian wolves that adopted her. At the same time, she would always try her best to preserve whatever was left of her Brigid heritage, from magenta-color body markings that match the shade of her hair Brigid clothing to combat techniques. Petra possessed a unique fighting style amongst the Eisner pack, as she was the most agile and evasive fighter, preferring to ambush and make swift, unpredictable attacks instead of confronting dangerous foes heads-on using brute force. However, Petra’s stamina was a bit lacking compared to the more aggressive fighters, which was why Jeralt usually paired her with pushy wolves with good stamina like Caspar or those with well-rounded ones with a good combination of speed and strength like Byleth to push her limits. In return, she would help them train their sensual instincts and making use of natural terrain as camouflage.

“I prefer to take my foes heads-on! Hah!”, the rowdy boy pummeled his fists as he replied just a tad too loudly. “Besides, doing this just gives me a big strength boost every time, ya know? Take this! Yahhh!!”

“I am afraid I am not having understanding…”, those earthy brown eyes were squinting again at the overly enthused boy.

“No use in convincing him, Petra. He has his own Caspar way of doing things. Just get used to it”, Linhardt casually threw in a comment as he scratched the back of his ears, lapis blue eyes still focused his own stuff. Despite being so close all the time and coming from the same pack, no less, the two boys couldn’t be any more different from each other. It might even come as a surprise that Linhardt could tolerate his younger brother’s… loudness, as the taller boy was always so fond of enjoying his daytime naps in any place or surface imaginable. “After all, that’s what makes him the Caspar we love, and I personally hate on cool sunny days that are perfect for a nap”

“Aw Lin. Why can’t you ever say something nice about me entirely?”, a question that was expectedly ignored by the green-haired boy, causing Caspar to roll his eyes and returned his focus to sparring. 

Everyone’s attention was soon drawn to Byleth and Leonie, however, as the thudding sounds of fists meeting sparring pads, accompanied by wavering grunts, grew increasingly louder.

“Guh!”

The tanned girl with fire orange hair gritted her teeth as she took two heavy blows from Byleth with her padded forearms. An expressionless Byleth with reddening, almost swollen knuckles was pounding her fists at Leonie with increasing might and speed that was causing frighteningly loud thuds to echo across the training yard. All eyes were on the two of them now as everyone stopped what they were doing and simply stared at the ashen wolfing with great unease with each movement she made.

“H-Hey. Slow down, Byleth!”

The onslaught of punches didn’t cease and only grew more rapid and vicious. A growling sound began to emit from Byleth’s throat as her dull blue eyes remain unflinched, sharp white fangs now on full display. Despite all the shouting and footsteps fast approaching, Byleth’s mind was consumed with her own dark thoughts, drowning out all her senses as she continued to project her anger and self-hatred into each successive blow.

_Useless weakling. You couldn’t even do a thing to protect her._

“By! Stop it! Please!!”

Even the deafening shrieks from a hysterical Bernadetta couldn’t snap Byleth out of her trance. She was now pinning down a frightened and disarmed Leonie, the sparring guards were knocked off on the ground. The two of them were soaked in sweat as Byleth halted her movements, lifeless cornflower eyes hauntingly stared into fearful orange ones.

“That’s enough, kid. You’re training, not trying to incapacitate your damn siblings”

Jeralt’s stern voice finally brought Byleth back to reality as all eyes were now on the bearded man and Alois who just got back from their hunt. Byleth slowly withdrew herself from Leonie, once again ashamed by her behavior during training. She extended her hand towards an exhausted Leonie who calmly took it despite clearly showing some resentment in her eyes, which only worsen the guilt inside her. Every day since that day had been like this. Byleth would cause a scene while training and sent all her siblings into chaos so Jeralt had to step in at the end. And no matter how hard everyone tried to get her to talk about her issues, they would always be met with utter silence.

“C’mon kids. Let’s take a lunch break. Good job again today, everyone”

* * *

Lunch carried on like always. From beginning to end, Alois kept on chirping his silly puns and Caspar continued to be loud and cheerful as usual. Bernadetta, Petra, and Linhardt were quietly munching on their food, and Leonie just grumpily chewed on hers and occasionally chimed in with Caspar and Alois while avoiding Byleth’s eyes. Jeralt simply observed everyone in silence, paying close attention to Byleth who was actively trying to avoid his gaze. Once the pack finished eating, Byleth quickly stood up and attempted to leave quietly before anyone could start a conversation with her, only to be grabbed by Jeralt, who had always been perceptive of the feelings of his emotionally muted daughter.

“Kid. We need to talk. Come with me.”

The parent and child shuffled away from the commotion of the pack, who was now buzzing over Caspar’s dolly that Bernadetta just finished making for him. Settling down under a quiet shade, Jeralt cleared his throat before chuckling lightly

“Always a rowdy bunch, those guys. But that’s our family for ya.”

Byleth soundlessly nodded, still trying to avoid meeting her father’s eyes.

“Look, kid. I know you’re still upset about that human girl”, earthy brown eyes scanned the teen’s shoulder and knee where she suffered those gruesome injuries that were now healed completely. “And don’t get me wrong, I’m also grateful to her for saving my daughter’s life-”

“But we look out for ourselves first, always”, grumbled the teal-haired child or the first time since they got back.

“... That’s right, kid. Not all children of men are kind like that girl you met. The men who accompanied her certainly weren’t kind people. We were also heavily outnumbered that night, so there was nothing we could do, sadly.”

“Those men. They were the same as the ones who attacked me”. _Why did she never tell me?_

“Is she related to those hunters in black? Why were they killing both children of men and children of nature…”

“They’re led by her uncle. Such men slaughtered their own kind and tried to pin it on one of our kind. They want to poison her heart with hatred towards children of nature…”

“Are you afraid that she will hate you? That her heart will change and she will come to hate our kind?”

“I never even managed to repay her kindness…”, Byleth’s voice was barely audible now, her whole body and head slumping downwards as balled fists trembled by her side. “All I could give her as thanks was my necklace, and the promise to never forget each other…”

Pain pricked at Jeralt’s heart as he watched his child in such an anguished state. The bearded man sigh deeply before putting a hand on Byleth’s shoulder and spoke calmly.

“For a human girl to have such an effect on you, this means that you must have seen something virtuous in her heart. Given that her uncle is a hunter, yet she still retained such a noble heart when she met you, I don’t believe she could be easily led into the darkness by such foul men”. His eyes glanced at her neck that was missing its usual accessory and smiled before he continued. “After all, she always has a part of you with her now, along with your promise with each other. They can be her light from now on.”

Byleth had wanted to respond that she probably already threw it away after what happened, but she had remembered seeing how even as she woke up and stared at everything in fear and anger, Edelgard was still subconsciously holding onto the necklace through her clothes. She also remembered Edelgard’s conviction at improving relations between children of men and children of nature and the spark in her beautiful lilac eyes when she spoke. She knew it would be difficult for them to cross paths again after this, but deep inside her heart, the wolfing hoped that no matter what happened, Edelgard would never lose her heart and keep their promise, just as Byleth always would. However, she was never prepared for what her father was saying next.

“Also…”

Jeralt’s voice broke Byleth away from her train of thoughts. The bear of a man began fumbling with his braid, a trademark behavior tic whenever he was about to bring up an uncomfortable topic, which of course didn’t go unnoticed by the teen wolf. Byleth turned to look at her father fully now, brows furrowed in worry of what was coming out of his mouth next, which prompted a gulp from the man before he continued.

“Your grandma Seiros had been made aware of what has recently transpired, as well as this dangerous new form of weapon the humans are building to hunt us… And she had requested our pack to ditch our nomadic lifestyle and go back to stay in the depths of the Red Canyon with her. Permanently, so no harm could ever come to us again.”

“What- But that means....”. _That I will never be able to see her again. Ever!_

“I know, kid. I wanted to argue against it till the end. After all, I never understood her and Seteth’s mindsets of sheltering children that belong to the wild....”. Sadness clouded his eyes as he paused to emit a heavy sigh before continuing. “However… It was because of me that Sitri begged her mother to leave the Red Canyon and live a free-roaming life. It was because of me that even after Sitri was gone, the two of us continued to travel across Adrestia and its neighboring countries. I don’t regret living this way entirely, since we were able to build our own family along the way as we found Alois, Petra, Linhardt, Leonie, Bernadetta, and Caspar. However, now that your life too has been endangered because of my ways…” 

Jeralt’s head was downcast and his voice was shaky and riddled with guilt. For the first time in Byleth’s life, the bear of a man that was her father now suddenly seemed so small in front of her eyes, and it pained the teen’s heart to see him in such a state. She also remembered the sadness in Seiros eyes whenever she and Jeralt would come and visit the Nabatean pack, the sense of helplessness she could sense from her grandmother whenever their eyes met. How her grandma would pet her unruly hair and tell her with a melancholic smile of how much Byleth reminded her of Sitri in her youth. From afar, she could hear the rowdy chatters, familiar shrieks, and rambunctious laughter of Alois and her siblings. The wolfling remembered the relief and worry on their faces when Jeralt brought her back that night, how much Bernadetta and Alois had cried while embracing her tightly, how even the toughened Petra, Leonie, Caspar, and the aloof Linhardt looked like they were on the verge of tears themselves upon seeing her face again. How they continued to care for her well-being even when she had been so difficult and sometimes, downright hostile these past few days. Swallowing down the bitter lump in her throat, Byleth finally muttered a weak response to her restless father, whose black eyes had yet to fade away after making the trip to search for his lost daughter.

“... Okay”

* * *

**The Year 1180, Harpstring Moon**

It has been a little over 5 years since the orphaned Edelgard was taken under the guardianship of Thales and Cornelia and began living with Hubert and Kronya under one roof. Throughout these years, the three children, who were now full-grown teenagers, had continued to study and put their Goddess-given gifts into use to develop to the best of their abilities, as well as in the effort to protect the town of Remire.

The now seventeen years old Edelgard, who was taken to almost all business and merchant trips with Thales, had produced numerous maps covering possible travelling routes as well as natural and socioeconomic features of geographic areas across Adrestia, as well as northernmost parts of its neighboring states including Albinea, Leicester, and Brigid. Such works include continuations and upgrades of her late father’s previous works, as well as many new ones of her own, many of which had been copied and submitted to the King for trading and other governmental uses. 

Recently, Thales had arranged for more trips across the Oghma mountain area, citing the need to explore travelling routes to Faerghus as the objective. Due to Faerghus’ harsh weather, trade was rarely conducted with the northern state, especially in peacetime since the neighboring country was more well-known for weapon trading. However, there had recently been a surge of interest in Adrestia to obtain dairy products and other aquatic delicacies from the north, which required studying efficient routes to conduct frequent trading. And the fastest way to reach Faerghus is, of course, by crossing the Oghma mountain, which was why Thales had been taking Edelgard and his men out to the mountains frequently in the past few months for her to work on a new map of the area.

Meanwhile, the von Vestra siblings had taken on a more active role in protecting the town. Hubert, now also seventeen, had continued working on the project he was developing before with his late father, the new weapon that could assist in combat against were humans, now dubbed “The Javelin of Light”. His nineteen-year-old sister, Kronya, was now a formidable member of the Agarthans, renowned for her almost animalistic senses that earned her the nickname of “Thales’ protege”, as well as her daredevil way of fighting that was often commended by the clan chief himself. The ginger-haired girl would always accompany the crew in their business trips to neighboring towns and the capital and had been instrumental in foiling several robberies or even assassination attempts by human thieves and were humans during their trips to and back from the capital to present the project’s progress to Enbarr officials.

Edelgard and even Hubert still bore little ill will towards were humans, but Kronya herself had develop quite the hatred for children of the wild. Especially as she spent more time around the Agarthans and grew to see Thales, who was much more understanding and even encouraging to her wild sides compared to the late Marquis von Vestra, as a semi-father figure.There had sometimes been tension between Edelgard and the von Vestras when it comes to the matter of developing such a weapon and working so closely with the Agarthan hunters. However, Edelgard, Hubert, and a begrudged Kronya had agreed that as long as they didn’t actively seek to provoke and harm other children of the Goddesses, it was a fair matter. After all, the three of them were basically a family now, and nothing could come between familial bond, especially between children who had lost everything and only had each other.

* * *

“Oh come on, Hubert. We can afford to take a day or two off to have some fun!”, pouted Edelgard at her gloomy-as-always friend in black. Although “Little Red” was now almost an adult and had seen and accomplished much more than an average person of her age could ever do, there was still a sense of childlike enthusiasm in her. Though she had undoubtedly grown less ingenuous compared to before, the girl had yet to lose the spark in her pale lilac eyes as Byleth’s necklace stayed on her throughout all those years. 

“And it’s been years since we last saw an opera performance at the Mittlefrank, way back when Manuela Casagranda was about to announce her retirement. Right, uncle?”, the girl turned to Thales who promptly nodded with an amused look in his eyes. Back when Edelgard was nine years old, the von Hresvelg family had been to the Mittlefrank Opera House together with Thales during a checkup trip for Anselma and the brunette had never had the opportunity to visit the place again since then.

“Hmph. I fail to see how spectating a _tragedy_ drama dwill make my day more enjoyable”, the lanky boy stared down at Edelgard with aloof topaz eyes. Hubert had grown significantly taller - and his hair covering significantly more of his face - in the past few years, though he had barely put on much muscle due to always dwelling in his studies to work on the weaponry project. In contrast, Edelgard had grown very little in terms of height, so the boy was now an entire head taller than his best friend - something he would often gloat about to tease her in his boredom.

“It’s art, Hubie! Art always make your feel good, no matter if it’s sad or happy”, exclaimed an excited Kronya. Despite not looking the part, the boisterous Kronya was actually a big fan of the operas ever since she made friends with the mayor's son, Ferdinand, and she would often frolic around the house singing Adrestian classics in off-tones that annoyed Hubert to no end. Thanks to her time with the Agarthans, Kronya had grown into an athletic and nimble young huntress, though her hair was as messy as ever, indicating her childlike mindset that had always stayed the same. “Besides, weren’t you the one who lamented that we couldn’t attend their performances of Hamlet and The Fall of Troy previously?”, the ginger snickered as she nudged her younger brother by the arm playfully.

Hubert’s pale face was now flushed in an uncharacteristic pink as the brunette was now giving him a teasing look as she giggled at the boy’s silly attempt to put on an air of indifference. Clearing his throat loudly to regain a sense of composure, the boy stammered defensively while he sent them a death glare that was promptly ignored by the two girls.

“Those were different! They were political intrigues that dealt with warfare strategy and the psychological traumas and mental deterioation-”

“They were also drama pieces too, Hubie. Just about different topics. They’re all art anyways. And you were most excited to see Dorothea Arnault Casagranda’s roles in those performances anyways”, Kronya remarked with her eyes dramatically rolled, prompting another chuckle from Edelgard and much of the sheepish tint to return to Hubert’s face. The tallboy could only resort to grumbled to himself in denial as he avoided the excited and teasing gazes of the two girls.

In recent years, a young new diva named Dorothea Arnault Casagranda had captured the hearts of people across Adrestia due to her glamorous beauty, angelic vocals, and heartfelt performances. Under the tutelage of the retired “Divine Songstress” of the Mittlefrank, Manuela Casagranda, Dorothea rose to fame in the Year 1174 at just thirteen years of age when she starred in that year’s rendition of “The Little Match Girl”, the same debut play where Manuela too began soaring into stardom. While some might argue that Manuela’s vocal quality were slightly more polished than her protege, none could deny Dorothea’s ability to captivate the audience with the sheer emotions she put into playing her characters, especially in tragedy works. as if she had really lived through it all in real life. 

Rumor had it that Dorothea was actually adopted by Manuela, as they bore little to no similarity appearance-wise and since the retired diva was said to have an “unfornate love life”, and that her middle name Arnault was actually her surname at birth. This hearsay had little impact on her popularity though, and many, including Edelgard and the von Vestra teens, were even touched by her inspiring success story, having risen into the upper echelons of wealth and social status despite having spent most of her childhood as an orphaned street urchin.

Since the teens had always come to Enbarr for business purposes and left relatively quickly, they never had the chance to attend a show from the new young sensation. This week, however, Thales planned to make a trip to Enbarr for personal endeavors, and the Mittlefrank happened to be doing a rerun of “The Little Match Girl” this moon. Therefore, Edelgard and Kronya had decided it was the perfect chance to spectate the brilliance of the rising young star in person and had been spending much of the day convincing the gloomy Hubert to join them.

"Hmph. You just like art because of that idiot orange-haired boy anyways."

A faint rosy tint dashed Kronya's pale cheeks as a rare gentle smile graced her lips. The ginger-haired girl hummed in content as she replied. "Ferdinand did introduce me to the arts but I grow to enjoy them myself too. Sometimes, a girl's gotta have moments of peace to take in the beauty of the world, ya know?"

"Ugh, whatever."

Eventually, Thales let out an amused laughter before he broke the teens' stalemate of an argument with a smirk.

“All right. I can clearly see how much you three wish to go see this performance. Go pack your bags now. We’re leaving for Enbarr at dawn tomorrow and you’ll have the whole day for yourselves. Have fun, be young. Especially you, Hubert”.

“Yes! Thanks, uncle Thales!”, the ecstatic Kronya crashed into the older man to give him a hug, a sight that brought much melancholy to Hubert’s heart and the boy could only nod silently in response as he glanced at them with a complicated gaze. It was clear how much Kronya had come to care for Thales, as physical affection was something the ginger would only reserve for her family and closest friends. Meanwhile, a gentle smile bloomed on Edelgard’s face, her heart filled with gratefulness that despite all that she had gone through, she could still enjoy such pleasant moments with her makeshift family.

...

With her bags all packed for the trip tomorrow, an excited Edelgard struggled to fall asleep as she couldn’t stop daydreaming about all the wonderous glamor and radiance she would get to experience tomorrow night.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the depths of the Red Canyon, a woman with long mint green hair strolled past the training yard where a familiar group of teens were practice sparring in their half-human forms. From afar, she could hear the cheery laughter of Alois, Bernadetta, and Flayn along with the fresh scent of fruits and wild game they just caught, prompting a gentle smile to grace her lips. The sounds of footsteps approaching behind stopped the woman in her steps before she could reach the bed of valerians as she turned around to face her inquirers.

“Seteth, Linhardt. What is it that you need to inform me?”

“My dear sister, it has come to my attention that the children of men are creating a lethal weapon that could be used to decimate our kind”, the older man spoke with a worried tone. “I have received words from my acquaintances in Enbarr regarding this. It seems that it’s still not fully completed yet, but they have already begun testing the might of this new form of arms since the last few moons…” 

“Does this have any connection to the incident from 5 years ago?”, her fine brows furrowed as she turned to the younger boy.

“I believe so, grandmother Seiros. Our acquaintances had reported that the deterioration of the injuries on the victims’ bodies was similar to what happened to Byleth 5 years ago, only on a much more severe level. They have also reported that aside from cuts and wounds by regular forms of weapons, there were also mysterious, deeply burned holes on some victims’ bodies that were too small to be that of normal types of arms”, the boy gulped before continuing in a noticeably shakier voice than before. “Sir Hanneman is currently performing… examinations on such bodies for clues as to what this deadly new weapon could be. We should hear from him soon, I believe....”

Seiros closed her eyes and breathed in deeply before she raised her voice again, eyes still completely shut.

“... And do we have any clue as to where this dangerous new weapon could be originated from?”

“After gathering much information from various children of nature dwelling in towns of men as well as in the wildlife areas around Adrestia, it seemed that this weapon is being developed in the town of men close to our territory, Remire.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made a dumb geographic mistake in the previous chapters so the Magdred trip has been changed into Varley since the former is Faerghus territory. Oops.
> 
> This has been a long time coming so enjoy a chapter that's 25% fatter than usual. Gotta admit that amidst my busy real-life work, I also ran into a bit of writer's block in this part of the story where I gotta make the transition into the timeskip. Here, we're now introduced to other characters in more detail and meet more Eagles. In this story, the were humans aren't officially recognized as citizens by the law, but in more diverse areas like the capital of Enbarr, there still existed were humans living together with other humans, though quite rarely. Meanwhile, remote areas like Remire wasn't like that as Ladislava never made her real identity public to anyone aside from her late husband. I did try my best to balance the plot/exposition/dialogue and end the chapter on an interesting note. Please excuse me if any parts dragged on too much or felt unnaturally worded... 
> 
> Next time we'll revisit an old face back from chapter 1 and there will be more interesting things happening. Hope you had a good time reading this chapter and until next time!


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